RCMP rolls out new distracted driving tool

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – This long weekend RCMP across the province will be watching you, and from a lot farther away. 

Police are in the midst of rolling out 'distracted driving scopes', a piece of equipment which fits on the end of cameras, and can spot people texting in their vehicles from up to 1.2 kilometres away. The scopes also allow police to keep photographic evidence if necessary.

“It’s amazing how many people think they have a unique ability to drive a 4,000-pound object hurtling down the road, without needing to watch where they’re going,” Const. Melissa Wutke of B.C. RCMP Traffic Services says.

The equipment is now being used by the provincial traffic services members across the province to help tackle one of the top dangerous driving behaviours in B.C. It’s also serving as a reminder of new fines kicking in on June 1. A first offense will cost drivers $543. Last year over the May long weekend, police ticketed 199 people for using electronic devices while driving.

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