Police were undercover in downtown Vancouver on Monday morning disguised as construction workers are part of a crackdown on distracted drivers.
Officers donned orange safety vests at a worksite at the foot of the Burrard Bridge to catch drivers who were either speeding or texting.
The initiative is part of a provincewide campaign meant to drive attention of respecting so-called “cone zones” and help keep roadside workers safe from careless drivers.
Cone zones are work areas set up to protect roadside workers, including traffic flaggers, tow-truck drivers, and first responders who work in close proximity to traffic.
Now in its seventh year, the annual B.C. Cone Zone Campaign coincides with the increase in roadside work in the warmer months of the year. WorkSafeBC says Vancouver will see an estimated 25 per cent increase in road construction and repair projects than over the same period in 2016.
According to WorkSafeBC, a total of 15 roadside workers were killed and 229 were injured after being struck by motor vehicles between 2007 and 2016.
“We want to remind drivers to slow down, pay attention to instructions from roadside workers, abide by temporary road signs and leave their phones alone,” said Trina Pollard, WorkSafeBC's manager of industry and labour. “Every roadside worker deserves to make it home to their family at the end of their shift without injury.”
Fines for a distracted driving violation more than doubled last summer, costing those caught in the act $368 for an offence. Motorists also get three or four penalties to their driving record, and a first infraction means they have to pay a $175 premium to ICBC.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Kendra Mangione
