The vast majority of British Columbians support stiffer penalties for distracted drivers, including heavier fines and even cell phone seizures, according to a new poll.

A full 70 per cent of respondents in the Angus Reid Public Opinion survey said police should seize phones from repeat offenders, and the same number supported doubling the current $167 fine to $334.

Almost 90 per cent said they’ve witnessed distracted drivers chatting or texting behind the wheel in the last month. Pollster Mario Canseco said the findings may suggest motorists are quicker to judge others than change their own behaviour.

“A lot of people interpret this as something that affects others – I can drive, I can talk on my handheld cell phone, I don’t really trust other people but I think I can do it myself,” Canseco said.

B.C. police confirm they issued a staggering 44,875 distracted driving tickets last year alone, a 30 per cent increase over the year before. Canseco said harsher penalties may be required to actually reverse the trend.

“We went through something like this with the seatbelt issue. A lot of people didn’t like it, a lot of people found it uncomfortable,” he said. “You make it more stringent, then people start to pay attention.”

The survey suggests most British Columbians think suspending distracted drivers’ licenses is too strong, however. Just 38 per cent said they support taking caught drivers off the road for one year, while 58 percent opposed it.

Earlier this month, the B.C. Chiefs of Police Association began a push for harsher distracted driving laws, but Justice Minister Shirley Bond has so far been cool on the idea of seizing phones.

“We’re not contemplating in the short term increased penalties, and certainly I don’t support the seizure of cell phones,” Bond told CTV News.

“What it comes down to eventually is you can legislate, you can create penalties, you can be very vigilant. At the end of the day it’s about personal responsibility.”

Bond said she will be happy to sit down with the Police Chiefs and discuss what measures they think should be taken to tackle the distracted driving problem.

The Angus Reid poll was conducted online among 805 randomly selected B.C. adults on March 21 and 22. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 per cent.