While Burnaby MLA Kathy Corrigan is condemning distracted driving in B.C., her husband, Mayor Derek Corrigan, is among the thousands of drivers who were ticketed in 2013 for not giving their undivided attention behind the wheel.
In July of last year, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan received a ticket for using an electronic device while driving in Burnaby. The report from Court Services Online doesn’t disclose what type of device it was, and Derek refused to tell the NOW the circumstances of the incident.
“Are you the judge?” interjected Derek when asked why he thought the ticket was given to him.
Derek noted that he is disputing the ticket, which has yet to go to a hearing.
“I disagreed with it fundamentally, and I think the officer was wrong and so I disputed it immediately,” he said.
“It’s a minor infraction, and it’s one that should be dealt with promptly,” he added, criticizing the provincial justice system. “I would’ve liked to have cleared it up a long time ago and then it wouldn’t give people like you what they believe to be a story.”
ICBC acknowledges that distracted driving is a serious issue in the province, noting that it is the third leading cause of fatal car crashes in B.C., with an average of 91 deaths per year, according to the insurance corporation’s latest annual report.
The news of the mayor’s ticket comes just a week after his wife appeared on Global TV as the Opposition public safety critic, lobbying the provincial government to better stress the dangers of talking and texting while driving as the number of offences rises, despite implementation of B.C.’s distracted driving laws four years ago. Last year, 53,000 distracted driving tickets were issued in B.C., up from 48,000 in 2012.
“What I’ve been concerned about is the fact that the number of tickets that have been distributed have increased yearly,” said Kathy. “What that clearly demonstrates to me is that ticketing is not working and that the government’s efforts in this regard have failed.”
When asked about her husband’s ticket from last year, Kathy noted she was unaware of the ticket.
“I don’t remember him telling me about that,” she said. “Perhaps he took it to heart and recognized that he better not do that anymore.”
Under the Motor Vehicle Act, the term “electronic device” applies to a variety of devices – including improperly used GPS navigators – though cellphone use is among the most common reasons for distracted driving tickets.
Talking on a cellphone while driving carries a fine of $167, while texting, emailing or dialling a cellphone while driving carries the same fine plus three demerit points. The mayor would not disclose if the ticket was for texting or talking while driving, and questioned the logic behind the NOW connecting his ticket to his wife’s recent statements against distracted driving.
“To try to draw a long bow between my wife’s comments in regard to issues and a disputed charge against me in regard to distracted driving is really – I can only put one word on it, it’s pathetic,” said Derek.
