Police officers were out in Victoria and Saanich on Wednesday enforcing a road safety campaign that’s aimed at educating the public on the dangers of texting behind the wheel.
Officers were stationed at various locations including at Quadra and McKenzie and downtown Victoria as part of “Operation Hang Up.”
They were looking for people behind the wheel who were on their cellphones or not wearing seatbelts.
“It’s almost as if you need a policeman on each corner to stop people feeling that it’s okay to use their cellphone when they get to a red light,” Const. Andy Dunstan with the Integrated Road Safety Unit said. “Put your phone down until you get to a destination or somewhere safe that you can park.”
Our cell watch volunteers are out reminding drivers to put their phones down. #yyjtraffic #operationhangup
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) September 14, 2016
As of Wednesday morning, police said they had handed out numerous tickets.
The regional campaign is geared towards hammering out an important message.
“It [distracted driving] is one of the most common causes of rear-end crashes and injuries and it’s the second leading cause of car crash fatalities in B.C.,” said Colleen Woodger, a road safety coordinator with ICBC.
Distracted driving fines doubled to $368 on June 1.
