When it comes to using electronic devices while driving or speeding excessively, the worst offenders are right here in B.C.
According to an Angus Reid poll released last Thursday, B.C. motorists are the worst in the country when it comes to bad driving habits.
Apart from talking on handheld cell phones while driving (which were banned January 2010), it appears B.C. drivers also have the dubious distinction of speeding, tailgating, cutting into a lane without signaling, turning where not allowed and cruising through crosswalks when pedestrians are crossing, more than elsewhere in Canada.
So, the News wanted to know how Richmond fares.
RCMP sergeant Rob Quilley doesnt believe we are doing any worse or better than the rest of the province.
If we compare ourselves to other municipalities, such as Coquitlam and Langley, where we are similar in size and composition, our violations here arent really different, said Quilley, who heads the road safety unit. In Richmond, we have a relatively high volume of drivers on the road, which means a higher number of violations.
According to local RCMP road safety statistics, in the past six months of this year alone, the police have handed 781 violation tickets for using electronic devices while driving, compared to 854 for all of 2011; speeding tickets so far this year are up to 2,740 compared to 3,166 for 2011.
However, Quilley is quick to point out that the increasing ticket numbers are a result of increased enforcement by police.
The numbers are higher because we have general duty police officers also handing out tickets this year, he said. Last year, we only had eight designated road safety officers handing out tickets, while this year we have 17 general and road safety officers watching our streets and catching offenders.
In the 15 years since Quilley has been part of the road safety unit, he believes drivers are getting worse. He attributes that to factors such as more vehicles on city streets, which causes more congestion and hence more frustrated drivers.
I would have to say that Ive seen the number of residents in Richmond increase by at least a third if not a half in 15 years, he said, adding its a big contributor to our increased violations. Poor driving decisions cause frustrations on the road.
Richmondites in droves are driving through red lights, doing illegal U-turns and tailgating, to name just a few.
I once stopped a young woman trying to pull her hair into a ponytail while driving, he said.
He cites that drivers seem to have a sense of entitlement.
Ive driven all over the world, and I think, in general, theres a mentality some people share that they believe they are more important than others and so they should be able to do whatever they want on the road, Quilley said. Theres this attitude of me, me, me.
In total, B.C. tops the list of driving offences in six out of the polls 10 bad driving categories.
