As of June 1st, the province is getting tougher with people caught driving with a phone in their hand – something that is very tempting in the hot market we’re seeing.
The new minimum penalty for distracted driving in BC will be $543, the sum of an initial $368 fine (an increase from the existing fine of $167) and then $175 to pay off points against the licence.
Each offence will now come with four penalty points, up from the existing three. A second offence within one year will cost $888. A fifth offence will cost $3,760; a 10th will cost $14,520.
Emailing or texting while driving will become a “high risk offence,” putting it at the same level as excessive speeding and driving without due care and attention.
Public Safety Minister Mike Morris says distracted driving or driver inattention claimed 66 lives in BC in 2014, when more than 600 people were seriously hurt.
Review the BC Cellphone laws on BCAA’s website, here.
Original article found here.