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North District RCMP looking to snuff out distracted drivers

Distracted Driving is now the second leading cause of car crashes in BC.

March is Distracted Driving and Occupant Restraint Month across the province.

Corporal Madonna Saunderson with the North District RCMP says motorists are still not getting the message.

“The first seven days, Provincial Regional Traffic Services and the RCMP’s Integrated Road Safety unit discovered 36 people operating a vehicle while using a cell phone and 321 seat belt violations.”

Saunderson adds the issue has leapfrogged another long-standing problem in BC.

“Distracted driving has surpassed impaired driving as a factor in vehicle fatality and injury crashes in the province. It’s a big problem when people are driving, they have to beg cognizant of what’s going on around them.”

Stiffer penalties await drivers if they continue to use their mobile device throughout the north.

Saunderson says if you choose not to comply, you may not like the end result. “It can carry a fine of $368 and four demerit point, this fine is coupled with the ICBC driver penalty point premium of a $175 and pushes the fine to $543.”

Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing pgnews@vistaradio.ca.

Brendan Pawliw
Brendan Pawliw
Since moving to Prince George in 2015, Brendan has covered local sports including the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, Prince George Spruce Kings, UNBC Timberwolves, Cariboo Cougars AAA, and Northern Capitals U18 female hockey teams. Career highlights include play-by-play during the Spruce Kings' BCHL championship runs in 2018 and 2019, including the Doyle Cup win. He also covered the 2019 National Junior A Championship, the 2017 Telus Cup, the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship, and the 2022 BC Summer Games. Brendan is the news voice on 94.3 The Goat and Country 97 FM, reporting on crime, real estate, labour, and environmental issues. Outside of work, he officiates box lacrosse and fastball, sits on the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame board, and co-hosts the Hockey North podcast.

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