Vancouver Police slapped a distracted driver with a hefty fine for streaming a football game while behind the wheel.
VPD Sgt. Mark Christensen took to Twitter this morning to report that he'd stopped a driver on Cambie St. Thursday night for distracted driving. He says the careless driver was "streaming the football game on his car's dash cam screen" and will be fined $368 for the offence.
The driver will also be flagged as a "high-risk driver" by ICBC.
Fines for a distracted driver start at $368 plus 4 penalty points and a $252 driver penalty premium assessed by ICBC for a minimum of $620 for a first offence.
Stopped a driver last night who was streaming the football game on his car’s dash cam screen while driving down Cambie St. $368 for distracted driving and flagged as “high risk driver” by @icbc @VancouverPD https://t.co/qdJvr7mkaQ
— Sgt Mark Christensen (@baldguy1363) December 11, 2020
Distracted Driving in B.C.
BC RCMP Traffic Services says fatal and serious injury motor vehicle collisions due to distracted driving are completely preventable.
According to provincial data, distracted driving is responsible for more than 25 per cent of all car crash fatalities and is the second leading cause of fatal collisions in B.C. Every year, an average of 76 people die in fatal motor vehicle collisions in BC because the driver was distracted or not paying attention.
Distracted driving is more than electronic devices being used; other reasons for the citation include personal grooming, eating/drinking, reading, pets, other passengers, and not knowing your route.
--With files from Castanet.
