We hear it over and over again, using your phone while driving is dangerous, and yet countless people continue to do it.
In Burnaby alone, more than 500 tickets were issued for using an electronic device behind the wheel in only the first three weeks of September, according to the RCMP.
Sgt. Dwayne Beckerleg is relatively new to the Burnaby RCMP’s traffic section, but he’s spent almost a decade working the streets as a general duty officer. During that time, he’s come across many, many drivers violating traffic laws, be it speeding or talking on their cellphones – he’s also seen the tragic outcomes of these violations.
Earlier this month, he and a group of officers set up an enforcement blitz near Metrotown. A group of Cell Watch volunteers were stationed with signs urging drivers to put away their phones, while Beckerleg waited, in plain clothes, about a block away looking for drivers who ignored the warning. If caught by Beckerleg, the drivers were faced with a hefty $167 fine.
While the team’s main focus is to catch drivers using electronic devices, the officers also watch out for all sorts of other traffic violations like drivers not wearing seatbelts or speeding. Sometimes they even come across drivers smoking illegal drugs behind the wheel, Beckerleg added.
The NOW caught up with Beckerleg to pick his brain about what he sees out on the roads, and what he thinks is needed to convince drivers to leave their phones alone.
Q&A
How effective do you think enforcement blitzes are?
Well, it catches people off guard, that’s for sure, and it makes them realize they could be caught anywhere doing things they shouldn’t be. Even if they think they’ve got it hidden, their behaviour to someone standing on the side of the road is quite obvious.
Explain what you mean by “behaviour.”
Their behaviour is not focusing on what’s going on around them, it’s focusing on what’s in their hand or what’s in the car with them. You’ll often see them miss lights or be late moving or glance up from their lap, or even blatantly talking on the phone.
When spotting, how close can you get to distracted drivers before they notice you?
Sometimes I walk right up to them, knock on the window and say, ‘Please see that officer right there.’ That’s very common. You can walk right up to them, and the other drivers who are aware of their surroundings are all wondering what you’re doing.
Did you come across distracted drivers as a general duty officer?
All the time, and the devastation that it causes as well. These (are) people that aren’t paying attention and go off the road. Hopefully, if an accident happens it only involves them and doesn’t involve third parties.
What are some of the excuses you’ve heard from drivers you’ve caught?
‘My phone rang, I couldn’t not answer it; I only picked it up to check the time,’ that’s a common one. Or, ‘I didn’t answer it, I only wanted to see who’s calling,’ that sort of stuff, or ‘I put it on hold and am just looking for a place to pull over,’ but it’s still in their hand.
Why do you think people can’t put their phones down?
In my opinion, technology is moving faster than we are to deal with it in cars. I have no doubt that in a few years we will be able to voice activate – and in some of the newer cars you can now – answer, send a text, you won’t have to do that with hands on, but people are so tied to their cellphones right now that they can’t live without them and they don’t have the technology in the vehicle yet so they don’t have to pick up.
What are some ways police are trying to keep up with changing technology?
We’re trying to get people to pay more attention to the road. The cars are moving at faster speeds these days, and we have a lot of new drivers on the road that can’t afford to be distracted from their primary task of driving. They’re driving a large vehicle that, if they don’t handle it properly, can cause a lot of devastation, to themselves and others, so you need to put 100 per cent of your concentration on the road.
Do you ever get frustrated doing this job?
Frustrated? No. Not frustrated, (I) just can’t believe that people are still doing this. When I started this job, nobody had cellphones and now everybody’s got one, and cars have changed a lot, but people still aren’t paying attention to their driving.
Do you think it’s just taking time for people to realize it’s dangerous? Like drinking and driving.
Yes, totally. It used to be talking on the cellphone, which a lot of people did. When it first started, again, the law hadn’t caught up to it. People were talking (on their phones) and there were accidents, but then it went on to texting, which takes you more away from your concentration than talking on the cellphone, but still, people need to concentrate on their driving, not on other things in the vehicle or in their hands.
Considering that, is it time for more education rather than enforcement?
Totally. Several other jurisdictions, including Alberta, have gone to distracted driving, which is basically anything that distracts you – from a coffee to a burger to anything, a dog in your lap. … Technology and things are moving far too fast, you’re going to have to put a general thing in law that says anything that distracts a driver (is against the law), because you need to be paying attention to the road.
