Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
National

March is Distracted Driving & Occupant Restraint Month for BC Police

28 Feb, 2020 09:16 PM

    March is Distracted Driving/Occupant Restraint Awareness Month and police across the Province will be conducting intensified distracted driving enforcement in your area. Fatal and serious injury motor vehicle collisions due to distracted driving are completely preventable and BC RCMP Traffic Services is reminding drivers to keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.


    Lego car with driver holding phone, Lego RCMP officer standing by car


    Distracted driving is responsible for more than 25% of all car crash fatalities and is the second leading cause of fatal collisions in BC. Every year, an average of 76 people die in fatal motor vehicle collisions in BC because the driver was distracted or not paying attention.


    Distracted driving is more than just using an electronic device but also includes other distractions such as personal grooming, eating/drinking, reading, pets, other passengers and not knowing your route. Doing any of these things while driving may cause your trip to end in tragedy.


    It all starts with you, says Supt. Holly Turton, Officer in Charge of BC RCMP Traffic Services. Ask yourself if it is worth your life or someone else’s to answer a call, check your email or send that text while you are driving. Please make the right choice when you drive – ignore your phone and drive responsibly – your life may depend on it – and others are depending on you to get to your destination safely.


    Police across the Province are stepping up distracted driving enforcement. The fines for distracted driving (using electronic device = 4 points or driving without due care = 6 points) start at $368 and 4 penalty points for a minimum of $620 for the first offence, and the costs increase with each subsequent offence. In addition, your insurance costs may be affected.


    And, while seatbelt compliance is generally quite high in BC, on average, 52 people are killed every year in collisions that may have been survivable had restraints been worn.


    Occupant restraints refers to all occupants of your vehicle, including children who are required to be secured in approved infant or child seats, appropriate to age and height. Police recommend that you always buckle up even if you are going short distances – seatbelts and airbags work together to protect you and the occupants of your car. The fine for not wearing a seatbelt is $167.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Prepare For New Coronavirus Like An Emergency, Health Minister Advises

    OTTAWA - Health Minister Patty Hajdu is encouraging Canadians to stockpile food and medication in their homes in case they or a loved one falls ill with the novel coronavirus.    

    Prepare For New Coronavirus Like An Emergency, Health Minister Advises

    Ontario Confirms New Case Of Coronavirus, Patient Had Travelled To Iran

    Ontario Confirms New Case Of Coronavirus, Patient Had Travelled To Iran
    TORONTO - A woman in her 60s who recently travelled to Iran has become the fifth person to contract the novel coronavirus in Ontario, as the province's monitoring of the virus widens.

    Ontario Confirms New Case Of Coronavirus, Patient Had Travelled To Iran

    Assisted Dying Bill Gets Mixed Reviews, Raises Fears Of More Restrictions

    Assisted Dying Bill Gets Mixed Reviews, Raises Fears Of More Restrictions
    Bill C-7, introduced Monday, would remove a provision in the four-year-old assisted dying law that restricted the procedure to those whose natural death is "reasonably foreseeable" — a restriction that was struck down as unconstitutional by a Quebec court last fall.

    Assisted Dying Bill Gets Mixed Reviews, Raises Fears Of More Restrictions

    Trudeau Uses Speech To Pitch African Envoys For UN Security Council Seat

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken Canada's campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council directly to African diplomats with a speech that tried to emphasize his boyhood connection to the continent.    

    Trudeau Uses Speech To Pitch African Envoys For UN Security Council Seat

    Peter Nygard Steps Down From Company Following Sex Assault Claims

    NEW YORK - Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard is stepping down as chairman of his company following an FBI raid on his Manhattan headquarters over sex assault allegations.    

    Peter Nygard Steps Down From Company Following Sex Assault Claims

    New Brunswick Maintains Position On Abortions And Canada Health Act

    New Brunswick Maintains Position On Abortions And Canada Health Act
    The New Brunswick government is standing firm on its position that it's not violating the Canada Health Act by refusing to fund out-of-hospital abortions in the province.    

    New Brunswick Maintains Position On Abortions And Canada Health Act