Editor, The News:
So the RCMP say that they are stepping up their efforts to catch distracted drivers and I can say that I have seen them hiding in the bushes along Dewdney Trunk Road with their telescope and loitering at bus stops and crosswalks.
As a matter of fact, I went around the block the first time I saw one at a bus stop as it was blatantly obvious he wasn’t there waiting for bus.
The other day takes the cake, though. I was driving south along 227th Street and the guy in the Mazda 3 in front of me was talking on his phone as we were driving along and a cop passed us heading north and I thought for sure this guy was getting a ticket. But he didn’t.
The members in the cruiser weren’t paying any attention and were too busy playing with their computer as they were driving and was completely unaware of what was happening right in front of them.
I agree that distracted driving is an issue in today’s world, but the law must apply to all drivers. I, as many other drivers, do witness the police talking on cell phones and especially operating their on board computers at the same time as they are driving, daily. The last time I checked, that is only another human being in that uniform who is no different than any other human being operating a vehicle, and they must put their electronic gadgets away as the rest of us do.
For the record, I do not own a cell myself and have not received a ticket and am not a disgruntled culprit. I am just an average citizen that is tired of officers rubbing our noses in it as they place themselves above the rest of us. No one person should be above the law, especially those hired to enforce them.
Dan Fraser
Maple Ridge
