Nearly 1,500 tickets handed out for distracted driving this month

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s the last day of a month-long distracted driving blitz by police and the numbers don’t look good.

Vancouver Police Constable Brian Montague says officers have handed out 1,450 tickets and that doesn’t include fines for people who are eating or doing their make-up behind the wheel.

“It drives us to a point where we get frustrated, there’s no doubt about it. It doesn’t take very long to drive down the street to see someone who is on their cell phone,” he says. “Whether I’m driving while at work or on my days off, to think that I’m putting my safety in the hands of someone who’s got their head buried in their cell phone, is very scary.”

In Surrey, Mounties issued 340 tickets.

“It should be concerning for anybody that we are still this many people that are either talking or texting on their phones while they are driving a car. It’s extremely dangerous and they’re putting people’s lives at risk.”

The province is looking at increasing the distracted driving fine which is currently $167, one of the lowest in the country.

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