“Staggering.”
That’s the word used by local Mounties to describe the amount of tickets handed out during a distracted driving campaign last month.
In September, Burnaby RCMP issued 924 tickets to motorists who were using an electronic device while they were driving.
“It’s very disappointing to see that drivers are still not getting the message about the dangers of distracted driving,” said RCMP Sgt. Gerard Sokolowski, in a statement regarding the latest numbers.
“We have to remember that this is about saving lives and making our roads safe to travel on.”
The efforts were part of a provincewide campaign with Cell Watch volunteers and ICBC in an attempt to educate drivers and improve road safety.
Earlier this year, Burnaby Mounties handed out more than 800 distracted driving tickets during a similar campaign. The number of distracted drivers, or people getting dinged by police for being so, appears to continue to be on the rise. For instance, between April and October of last year, Burnaby RCMP issued 1,606 tickets for distracted driving.
In 2013, the department issued more than 3,375 distracted driving tickets, or about 281 each month.
Even though the most recent campaign is over, police warn distracted driving enforcement will continue throughout the year.
According to ICBC, on average 88 people in B.C. die every year in crashes where distracted driving is a contributing factor. Distracted driving is responsible for about a quarter of all crash fatalities in the province.
