I read with interest the article in the March 9 edition on page A6 of the Nelson Star – “41 distracted driving tickets handed out in one day.” Although I strongly agree that we have too many distracted drivers on the road these days, enforcement needs to be an ongoing process, not just a “let’s go out and catch somebody today” attitude.
Very rarely will you ever see the RCMP out patrolling our highways these days. Just count the number of marked cars you see sitting at detachments all over the East and West Kootenays and then make note of how many you actually see out patrolling the highways. We are overrun with ads, newspaper and TV spots about the ICBC safety issues, distracted driving and driving while impaired by whatever substance. This is all well but again, where are the cops? They appear to be an invisible force now hiding in bushes, in tall buildings spying out of windows, and one report showed them up in a cherry-picker with binoculars trying to catch folks.
In the past, we used to see a strong RCMP presence on the highways and folks knew they were under their scrutiny and were a bit more concerned with not breaking the law. All concerned citizens need to start asking questions about the level of policing on the highways. We all pay an extra non-insurance fee for “Road Safety and Enhanced Enforcement” when we purchase our ICBC insurance, but ICBC has refused to disclose what those services include.
It’s a free-for-all out there on our highways.
Come on RCMP, do your job.
Brian Kirkham,
Castlegar