ICBC and police asks drivers to ‘take a break’ from phones

VANCOUVER, B.C. – ICBC and police continue to combat the dangerous driving behaviour of distracted driving that has involved more than one in four fatal crashes in B.C.

The message of this month is to take a break from your phone when you’re behind the wheel shares ICBC.

Not only is the practice dangerous ICBC shares it can also be costly. One distracted driving ticket is $368 plus four penalty points ($252) for a total of $620. This number vastly increases to more than $2,500 if you get a second distracted driving ticket within 12 months.

Police across B.C. are ramping up distracted driving enforcement during March, and community volunteers are setting up Cell Watch deployments to remind drivers to leave their phone alone. The campaign also features advertising and social media support.

Drivers can do their part by avoiding distracted driving by activating Apple’s Do Not Disturb While Driving feature or what’s similarly available on other devices. Free ‘not while driving’ decals are available at ICBC driver licensing offices and participating Autoplan broker offices.