In less than 30 minutes, Prince Rupert RCMP pulled over three vehicles for distracted driving.
Police officers were performing a road safety check-stop on 2nd Avenue West starting at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. One plainclothes officer was informing his team when he spotted a distracted driver.
“We have been getting a lot of complaints from road construction crews,” Sgt. Dave Uppal said, adding that fines double in construction zones. “We want people to obey the rules of the road when it comes to speeding.”
This past month has seen more construction crews and road closures due to the repaving of Highway 16 from McBride Street, down 2nd Avenue to the ferry terminal, as well as 3rd Avenue. Uppal said drivers haven’t been obeying road closure signs and crews have been complaining about speeding and distracted drivers.
RCMP want to remind the public that a first offence for distracted driving is $543 — $368 for the ticket and four penalty points on the licence adding another $175. A second offence will cost the driver a total of $888.
For Bike to Work Week cyclists distracted fines also apply. Using a phone while on a bike is considered careless cycling, which is a fine of $109.
“We encourage the public on bikes to obey the rules of the road as well,” Uppal said.
Here are a few other tickets cyclists could receive for not following the rules of the road.
- Riding a bike on the sidewalk — $109
- Riding a bike on the crosswalk — $109
- Failure to ride a bike on the right side of the road — $109
- Riding a bike after dark without lights — $109
- Cycling without a required bike helmet — $29
