Drivers in Richmond are finding new ways to camouflage cellphone use and concocting more elaborate excuses - but local Mounties are literally zooming in on the offenders, and they've heard all the sorry stories before.
The expert eyes and ears of Richmond RCMP's road safety unit will be peeled and pricked respectively for the whole of February in a bid to thwart and deter distracted driving across the city.
Around 2,200 violation tickets, priced at $167 a pop, were handed out in Richmond last year to thoughtless drivers who couldn't bear to put down their devices while behind the wheel.
That's a grand total of $367,400 in fines for people whose best efforts at excusing their dangerous behaviour, according to Richmond's road safety team, include:
. I wasn't using it, I was just Shazaming a song;
. I was checking the time (despite having a clock on the dash);
. I was checking the GPS;
. I was using speakerphone; that's not allowed?;
. I was just taking a picture of the accident over there;
. I was waiting for an important medical call;
. I was just tweeting. People are getting a little wiser to it by trying to use their phone lower in their lap," said Const. Dennis Hwang, of Richmond RCMP's road safety unit.
"We'll be looking for people's hands; what they're doing with their hands and if they're talking or not.
"Are they manipulating a device or not?"And if Hwang's unit decides to cover a particular area, they'll make use of a spotter and/or a powerful telescope to catch people in the act.
"You'd be amazed what we can see through that," said Hwang.
"We can just about read what's on your phone or if you need to shave, for example.
"We'll have a spotter who will call another officer ahead and they will pull you over into a safe spot." Hwang also pointed out that, if you're a new driver, you're not even allowed to use a hands-free device.
"(New drivers) have enough on their plate without a distraction. They can use GPS, but not during driving," he added Although it's hard to gauge if more people are offending or not, Hwang is convinced the risky practice is becoming more prevalent the more people get attached to their cellphones. "It's not specific to Richmond, it's all over," he said.
"Devices can be used for so many things these days that it's difficult for some people to avoid using them for the likes of social media. People have become so dependant on them.
"But the same way you might put away electronic devices at home for some family time, you should be putting the device away when you enter your car to drive.
One mistake on the road and you could change your life or that of someone else's forever."
Hands-free is also not the answer, according to Hwang who's well-read on recent studies suggesting it's not much safer than talking or texting.
"Hands-free is accepted by law, but studies are indicating that it makes little difference," he said. "But until that body can prove that's the case, then it's still legal.
"There is a study right now that's looking into disabling devices altogether as soon as you start driving."
As for Hwang himself, he's careful not to fall foul of failing to practice what he preaches.
"I think the optics are very important and I always pull over and put my hazard lights on to make or receive a call," he said. "I have enough distractions of my own, such as the police computer and looking out for suspects."
Distracted driving is one of the major driving behaviours that contribute to fatal and serious injury motor vehicle collisions across B.C.
Last year, 27 per cent of collision fatalities in B.C. were caused by distracted or inattentive drivers, despite over 40,000 violation tickets being issued for use of an electronic device or driving without due care and attention.
