On Sept. 16, at 11 a.m., Campbell River RCMP partnered with North Island Traffic Services and conducted a road check at Petersen Road and 16th Avenue.
Seventeen seatbelt violation tickets were issued at $167 each, two drive while distracted using an electronic device while driving – at $167 each – and three notice and orders to repair defective vehicles were issued, RCMP Cpl. Poppy Hallam reported. This road check was conducted over a one and a half hour period so the numbers of drivers and occupants without seatbelts was quite high.
As for distracted drivers, the two violation tickets were issued to people who obviously were distracted enough to still be using their device while approaching the road check.
“One driver thought that since they had their cell phone on blue tooth, they were exempt, yet they were holding onto the cell phone and speaking into it,” Hallam said. “If your cell phone is on hands free, then it should be just that, hands free. If you are holding onto your cell phone, then you are considered using an electronic device and there really is no difference between having that cell phone up to your ear or holding it in front of you utilizing the speaker phone. We are finding many contractors are guilty of this, because they are trying to conduct business on the road, going from job to job. We understand this is how you make your livelihood, however please invest the money into a blue tooth system in your vehicle where you can speak commands and dial people or answer the phone without using your hands. It is worth it, for your safety and the safety of others.
“And those who are texting, it is quite obvious to others around you when you are looking down at your lap or your steering wheel as we sit behind you at a green light that you are completely unaware you should be proceeding through. Texting while driving causes the driver to take their eyes off the road and that is never worth it. Pull over to the side of the road if you must answer that text message or phone call. ”
Brief case chained to a tree?
On Sept. 16, between 1:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., someone pushed down a tree on the walking trail of Pine Road by North Island College and stole a grey pelican brief case that was chained up to the tree. Inside that case was a Larson Expert LXT sound monitoring system, used to record noise levels. This is a specific piece of equipment that is valuable to the user and cost over $10,000. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this system, call the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.