OPP crack down on distracted driving

(Update)
Long weekend road trips can be a lot of fun. But one crash can tie up traffic, leading to major headaches and delays. So the OPP is trying to keep things safe and smooth on the highways this weekend. They’re putting ten additional unmarked cars on the highways to crack down on distracted driving which the OPP says is responsible for more deaths than impaired and speed related crashes.

We went out for a ride along with an OPP officer, and while we only pulled over a driver for speeding , other officers told me that they pulled over several cars today for distracted driving. One 23-year old was caught by an unmarked car while he was texting for at least 20 seconds before looking at the road. Here’s a look at one of the undercover police cruisers, designed to catch distracted drivers.

While all the controls inside remain the same as any other cruiser, the exterior easily blends with traffic. They are already out on the roads ready for the long weekend travellers.

Stevenie Stevenson: “I think these are going to catch a lot of people on their phones, eating and doing everything you shouldn’t be doing.”

Ryan Hayes: “That will help because if you see a police car you can just put down your phone. This will work well.”

Lee Stevenson: “They won’t be able to write the tickets fast enough because there’s so many people doing it.”

The cars are completely unmarked which gives the OPP officers an advantage when they are looking for distracted drivers. Today we went on a ride along with the force to see what they look for when patrolling the highways.”

So what are the obvious signs of a driver who is texting?

Constable Lisa MacIntyre, OPP: “You know, it’s the whole head bobbing, not fully paying attention to the road ahead of them.”

While we didn’t see anyone texting on this drive, one girl got into some trouble for speeding.

Lisa MacIntyre: “I’m just going to stop this vehicle.”

She was doing 35 kilometers over. And being in an unmarked cruiser the officers see a lot more even while they are on the look out for distracted drivers.

Kerry Schmidt, OPP: “Our biggest concern is that people are getting killed. We had 35 people lose their lives this year based on distracted driving.”

So if you are thinking of sneaky ways to hide your cell phone behind the wheel you may want to think again.

The OPP have identified “hotspots” — areas of patrolled highways that experience the most collisions. We’re at one right now on Highway 6 near Highway 5. Expect to see the unmarked cars at this location over the weekend. If you are caught texting — $280. It will go up to $1,000 once legislation is passed.