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Vernon  

Distracted driving tales

As part of ICBC's Distracted Driving campaign, members of the North Okanagan Traffic Services shared their own experiences Monday on nabbing distracted drivers in Vernon.

The two officers, Cst. Gary McLaughlin and Cst. Steven Schenkeveld, took turns walking an obstacle course while texting for the media, to show how being distracted impacts your ability to drive a car.

One officer missed a obstacle stop sign completely while the other bumped a cone. They both noted how difficult it is to complete a text message while paying attention to the course, and shared their disbelief in some of the distracted driving they've witnessed on the job. 

Cst. McLaughlin says his team was out on Saturday as part of their enforcement blitz when they saw a woman in her 20's drive by three fully marked police vehicles with three officers in yellow traffic coats texting away.

“Broad daylight, beautiful sunny day and we had a lady pass right by us, texting on her cellphone, completely oblivious to us. We weren't hiding; we were parked right there on the side of the road and that is a typical example of that we see,” shares McLaughlin.

He was quick to note that it's not just young people who are caught with their cellphones, it is a common act across the board.

“It is all ages, it is all walks of life. It just seems to be accepted that people can't put their phones down and there has to be a change.”

Cst. Schenkeveld says he will never forget a woman who was using her hands for everything but driving the car.

“I looked out onto the street with the traffic flowing by and there was a woman holding her cellphone using it for GPS and eating a Wendy's salad bowl. So here she has a phone in one hand while she has a salad in the other hand and I believe her knees were doing the driving,” laughs Schenkeveld. "I'll never forget that one.”

Both officers say many people they pull over don't even realize they are doing it until it's too late.

“As soon as you grab that phone you are distracted, it's that simple,” adds McLaughlin, who also vividly remembers pulling over a man preaching the rules via sticker, but not following them.

“I actually caught a gentlemen who had a no cellphone while driving, anti-cellphone sticker on his vehicle and he was using his cellphone,” laughs McLaughlin. “He actually said to me, “I guess I am the hypocrite today”.

Both officers say it's even common for people who have been pulled over to ask to finish their calls first. They will say, “you got me already can I at least finish this call first?”

Despite the levity of their stories, the message they are trying to drive home is clear, distracting driving is dangerous and it kills.

In fact each year, on average, 32 people are killed in the southern interior and 80 plus province-wide due to distracted driving-related crashes.

Statistics show drivers are four times more likely to get into an accident if they use a cell phone while driving, giving distracted driving the grave title of the second leading cause of crash fatalities in the province.

Police will continue to target distracted drivers in the North Okanagan, while The Vernon Citizens on Patrol will also keep their eyes on distracted drivers.

Although you may not see them, if the Citizens on Patrol observe you in the act they will take down all the details including the time, date, license plate number and make of your car, and the RCMP will send you a warning letter stating you've been caught.



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