Drivers who use their cell phones will soon face tougher penalties in British Columbia after the government announced Monday those caught breaking the rule will face escalating fines and the possibility of a driving prohibition for repeat offenders, beginning June 1. In addition, drivers charged with a second offence within 12 months will pay $888 in fines – the base fine of $368 plus $520.
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“Distracted driving, like drinking and driving, is entirely avoidable, yet too often has devastating consequences”, said Mike Morris, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
If occurring within a year, penalty points go from a $175 for a first offence, to to over $14,000 for a tenth offense.
“In 2014 alone, distracted driving and inattention contributed to 66 deaths”, he said, adding 630 people were injured in the province that year.
And those penalty points and fines keep rising from there.
“This means that drivers who receive two or more tickets for distracted driving within a one year period will have their driving records automatically reviewed and face a possible driving prohibition of three to 12 months”, Morris said.
A third time offender will result in a driver being out of pocket $1600, plus another four penalty points.
Police have been cracking down on drivers talking and texting for years – but people still aren’t get the message about distracted driving.
“We want to make distracted driving a thing of the past and we want to change the way people think about distracted driving”, he said.
During ICBC’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a police road safety unit in Kelowna handed out 37 distracted driving penalties in less than three hours.
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The provincial government is now calling distracted driving a “high-risk” offence and increasing financial penalties.
