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Police on motorcycles tap on windows of distracted drivers

Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Cameron Miller said a police motorcycle has been effective in enforcement
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Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Cameron Miller said a police motorcycle has been effective in enforcing distracted driving laws. (BLACK PRESS file)

Nanaimo RCMP have taken to two wheels to try to curb distracted driving.

Supt. Cameron Miller, during his quarterly report to city council Monday, said a police motorcycle has been effective in enforcement so far this year.

The smaller vehicle allows officers to get a close look at drivers who can’t put their phone down.

“One of our best weapons now for issues with electronic devices is the police motorcycle,” Miller said, adding that the detachment didn’t have a motorcycle operator for a few years, but now has two officers who use it.

“People will be looking for a marked police car to come up beside them or behind them, and they’ll hide their phone,” the superintendent said. “But they’re not really looking for motorcycles, and motorcycles will come right up to them and our officers have actually pulled up beside cars and tapped on the window and looked at the driver talking on the phone and more than once, the driver has dropped the phone…

“The word’s out in the community. Because there’s no place for distracted driving. It’s what gets people injured in accidents.”

He said Nanaimo RCMP have issued 178 violation tickets for distracted driving through the first three quarters of the year. That’s up from 156 during the same period last year, and Miller said one of the reasons is that since fatal car crashes are down – five this year compared to 11 last year – more of those police resources can be devoted to enforcement.



editor@nanaimobulletin.com

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