300 violation tickets have been handed out already this month.
With March being Distraced Driving Awareness Month, Central Okanagan RCMP have been developing new tactics to catch distracted drivers in the act.
This includes surprising drivers on their phones by sending out RCMP officers in civilian clothing, driving non-police vehicles.
One such vehicle that has been spotted around Kelowna is a large white van with a cardboard sign in the window that reads: "VAN 4 HIRE 368-2142."
But this isn't actually a phone number; the 368 represents the minumum dollar amount on a distracted driving fine, while 2142 represents section 214.2(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act, which prohibits distracted driving with an electronic device.
"We want the motoring public to of course remain focused on their surroundings at all times," says Corporal Jesse O'Donaghey. "But especially when they're stopped in traffic, we'd also like them to wonder whether or not the man or the woman in the vehicle beside them could be a traffic cop out searching for distracted drivers."
So far, 300 violation tickets for distracted driving have been handed out this month in the Central Okanagan.
A recent survey by ICBC revealed that deaths by distracted driving outnumber deaths by impaired driving in B.C.
