Rick Stiebel
Sooke News Mirror
Here’s a partnership to combat a problem we should all be hung up on.
The Sooke RCMP is partnering with ICBC on its annual Distracted Driving Campaign for 202, aptly called Operation Hang Up.
The campaign, which runs through the month of March, keys on traffic safety, one of the detachment’s strategic priorities identified by the community as a major concern.
Although Sooke RCMP will bring in additional resources to specifically target distracted drivers on March 24 as part of the campaign, it is a priority throughout the year, said Dawn Gilhen, watch supervisor for the Sooke RCMP detachment. Police will be specifically keying on high crash locations, intersections and school zones.
“It’s an issue we take very seriously,” Gilhen said. “Distracted drivers put everyone around them at risk.”
Any diversion of your attention away from the safe operation of your vehicle, such as chatting with passengers, eating or drinking, adjusting radio or vehicle settings can contribute to distracted or inattentive driving. Statistics from ICBC indicate the likelihood of a crash increases by five times if drivers are using a hand-held phone.
Check out icbc.com/road-safety/crashes-happen/Distracted-driving for more information.
