RCMP using undercover vehicles to spot distracted Kelowna drivers

KELOWNA – RCMP in the Central Okanagan are using some creative new ways to catch distracted drivers.

March is Distracted Driving Awareness month, and the Kelowna RCMP and Central Okanagan Traffic Services have joined forces to target distracted drivers.

Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says in a media release the two agencies have so far issued nearly 300 tickets this month to drivers caught using electronic devices.

“Our traffic enforcement officers have even taken to the busy streets of Kelowna in plainclothes as spotters, using unsuspecting vehicles to pull along side other motorists,” he says in the release. “A uniformed enforcement officer, staged in the area, would then be called in to conduct the traffic stop with that motorist.”

O’Donaghey says police want the public to remain focused on their surroundings at all times, especially when stopped in traffic, and wonder whether or not the man or woman in the vehicle beside them could be a traffic cop searching for distracted drivers.

He says using an electronic device while driving can cost a driver $368 and four driver penalty points.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.