95 per cent of drivers understand that using your phone behind the wheel is risky, but one third of them still do it.
That’s according to ICBC’s Mark Milner, Road Safety Program Manager.
We asked him if the distracted driving blitz’s make a difference.
“We’ve seen a large increase in the number of people who are aware of the risks of distracted driving and a somewhat smaller decrease in the number of people who admit to doing it.”
This month there will be enhanced police enforcement of distracted driving across B.C., and it starts with a province-wide blitz tomorrow (Fri).
The ticket for distracted driving is 368 dollars plus demerit points.
Milner offered some advice to help motorists avoid the temptation of using a cell phone while in the car.
“If you’ve got an I-phone, you can activate the ‘do not disturb while driving feature’. You can set it up so it starts automatically when you start driving and that will make sure that you don’t get bothered by notifications, text messages will send an automatic response, phone calls will go directly to voice mail. Android devices have something similar.”
Community volunteers will also be conducting Cell Watch deployments during the next month to remind drivers to leave their phone alone when driving.
Those spotted driving distracted by volunteers could be sent a warning letter.
