People’s driving habits in Port Alberni continue to be a concern to the RCMP and ICBC.
A plainclothes RCMP officer and three marked police cars ticketed 41 drivers for cellphone or seatbelt violations in a four-hour campaign Monday morning (Sept. 24) at the corner of Johnston Road and Gertrude Street. The enforcement action was in support of ICBC’s province-wide distracted driving and seatbelt usage campaign taking place throughout the month of September, according to RCMP community liaison officer Cpl. Amelia Hayden.
The plainclothes officer wandered up and down the sidewalk looking for drivers using their cellphones at the red light or those not wearing seatbelts. Once he spotted a violator he radioed the uniformed officers who then conducted traffic stops.
As a result of the officers’ efforts, 41 charges were laid under the Motor Vehicle Act, including 28 seatbelt tickets, 11 cell phone tickets and six warnings for other moving offences in a span of four hours. “Some drivers didn’t even notice when the officer approached them,” Hayden said.
“Checking your phone at a red light may seem harmless, but the truth is using an electronic device behind the wheel is a dangerous distraction,” according to ICBC. “Even when stopped, it affects your situational awareness. You’re five times more likely to crash if you’re using your hand-held phone.”
The plainclothes officer, who didn’t want to be identified, said he saw that lack of situational awareness while he was standing on the corner.
“One person who was texting, I actually walked up to their car and knocked on their window and startled them,” the officer said. “They hadn’t seen me walk up to them.”
A second driver, also checking their cellphone at the red light, never saw him walk right up to the passenger side window of their car. “What else aren’t they seeing,” he said.
For everyone’s safety, the Port Alberni RCMP encourages the public to wear their seatbelt at all times and leave their cellphone alone while behind the wheel.
The Port Alberni Community Policing volunteers will also be out reporting on distracted drivers during the rest of this campaign, Hayden said.
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