Distracted driving responsible for 12 deaths a year in North Central region: ICBC

As the weather starts to warm, ICBC is continuing to tackle distracted driving in the province with a campaign aiming to curb distracted driving.

Since 2014, more than one in four fatal crashes in B.C. have involved distracted driving, resulting in 76 deaths per year according to ICBC.

In the North Central Region, in particular, an average of 12 people are killed in distracted-driving related crashes every year, the company says.

Police across B.C. are ramping up distracted driving enforcement during March, and community volunteers are setting up Cell Watch deployments to remind drivers to leave their phone alone.

Next month, drivers will be hearing one message – take a break from your phone when you’re behind the wheel.

“The distracted driving campaigns run twice a year, so we run them in March, and then again in September as a reminder of back-to-school,” said Doug Macdonald with ICBC.

“In the springtime, [March] we look at the idea of reminding people to change their driving habits, we are starting to see the road conditions change, the weather to shift a little warmer, and it’s also an opportunity to remind people to the importance of not texting while driving.”

One distracted driving ticket is $368 plus four penalty points ($252) for a total of $620.

The number goes up to more than $2,500 if you get a second ticket within 12 months.

ICBC says tough penalties haven’t deterred some drivers, with an average of 1,335 drivers receiving more than one ticket a year.

“It’s way too many people to die for something that is entirely preventable,” Macdonald added.