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Drivers not heeding distracted driving laws

32,000 tickets handed out for distracted driving across B.C.

Across the province some 32,000 tickets have been handed out for distracted driving, with the majority of those stemming from drivers talking on cell phones without the hands-free devices required by law. Each ticket is for $167, which means British Columbians have paid over $5.3 million since the new laws on distracted driving came into effect on Feb. 1, 2010.

Evidence also suggests that some drivers have paid with their lives. In the Vancouver police district, which includes Whistler and other communities, distracted driving may have contributed to 46 of the 95 road deaths reported in the past year - some 48 per cent of all vehicle fatalities. That's significantly higher than the provincial average of 32 per cent.

In order to draw attention to the laws, Sea to Sky Traffic Services and the Whistler RCMP's traffic officer will be part of a province-wide Valentine's Day sweep with the theme of getting home safely to your valentine.

"We're asking that people adhere to the legislation and best practices," said Sergeant Shawn LeMay of the Whistler RCMP. "Not just because it's against the law, but for safety reasons.

"Something our senior officers have noticed anecdotally is that when they see a driver driving carelessly - swerving, braking unnecessarily, rolling through stop signs, the likelihood is very high that the person is on the phone or checking messages."

Given the number of tickets and offences, Sgt. LeMay said its clear that drivers are not getting the message - something he said is frustrating, given the amount of attention the new law received and the real potential for accidents, injury and fatalities.

 

Impaired driver takes police on a chase

At 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 30, the RCMP noticed a grey Ford Escape stopping on Lorimer road to let out a female passenger. When the vehicle pulled away it straddled the centre line to Highway 99, then proceeded to drive over the median and head north.

At that point the RCMP began to pursue the vehicle. It swerved into the opposite lane, then collided with a concrete barrier on the side of the highway before continuing to Nancy Greene Drive. The vehicle went over another median before turning down the street, then hit one snowbank, then another. The vehicle then turned onto the Valley Trail and stopped. As the police pulled up behind the vehicle, it began to reverse again until the police got the driver's attention.

The male, identified as a 34-year-old from Toronto, was having issues with balance when he exited the vehicle and failed two roadside tests with ratings of .210 per cent blood alcohol content - almost three times the legal limit.

The driver was later released with a $500 surety and will appear in court to answer charges of impaired driving, driving over 0.08 and fleeing from a police officer.

That was just one of several impaired calls reported the past week.

On Sunday, Jan. 30 at 5:43 a.m., the RCMP received a call about a single vehicle collision on London Lane. A red Ford F150 truck was on a snowbank and had hit a light standard. The driver exited the vehicle and fell twice, while leaving the vehicle in drive - without the snowbank and pole it would have kept going.

The male driver refused to provide a breath sample to police and was given an automatic 90-day driving prohibition, 30-day vehicle impoundment, various violation tickets and a charge for obstructing police officers.

On. Jan. 26 at 8:50 p.m. the police noticed a vehicle driving on Nancy Greene towards the highway with heavily frosted windows. The police stopped the driver and detected the odour of freshly burnt marijuana. They immediately arrested the driver and conducted a search of the vehicle, discovering a large quantity of marijuana. The 31-year-old Whistler male will appear on drug-related charges on Mar. 30.

On. Jan. 30 at 1:15 a.m., the RCMP stopped another vehicle with Texas plates that was leaving the day lots with heavily frosted windows. They detected an odour of alcohol when they stopped the driver, who provided two fail samples on the approved screening device. The male was issued a 90-day driving prohibition and 30-day impoundment.

The RCMP also impounded one vehicle for excessive speeding at roughly 6 p.m. on Jan. 30, after they observed a southbound vehicle travelling over 120 km/h in an 80 km/h zone to the south of the Whistler. The driver told police officers that his friends were late.

Under new driving laws, the stop resulted in a driving prohibition and impoundment of seven days.

 

Australia Day busy but peaceful

The Whistler RCMP was out in force on Jan. 26 for the annual Australia Day celebrations in Whistler, and while no fights were reported this year it was a busy for the police.

According to Sergeant Shawn LeMay, some 11 people - nine men and two women - were taken to the cells, with the first partier checking in at 12:35 p.m. in the afternoon and the last being processed just after midnight.

The police found several people passed out in the village, and brought paramedics along to ensure that the unconscious people were healthy enough to be remanded into police custody.

During the day they handed out eight tickets for public intoxication, nine for open liquor, three for urinating in public, and two tickets for creating a nuisance for swearing loudly in public.

While Australia Day was busy - on par with long weekend crowds, according to RCMP - the RCMP also noticed that the Australia Day festivities got underway early this year with large crowds in the village on the evening of Jan. 25, coinciding with the start of Australia Day in Australia. Sgt. LeMay suggested that the RCMP would treat the day as a 24-hour event in the future.