Driver issued 2 distracted-driving tickets within 6 minutes
Man faces $736 in fines, plus hefty ICBC premiums, after officers spotted him using cellphone
A distracted driving ticket ain't cheap: $368 for a first infraction, plus a one-time $210 insurance premium and four penalty points on your driving record.
But that wasn't enough to dissuade one Vancouver motorist from picking up his cellphone while driving just minutes after he was ticketed for the offence — and he was caught again.
A Vancouver police officer caught the man Monday morning using his phone while driving his Honda Civic on Seymour Street, near Smithe Street.
At 9:49 a.m., police issued the man a $368 ticket.
Six minutes later, another officer spotted the same driver using his phone a block away on Seymour Street, between Smithe and Robson streets.
The driver was slapped with a second $368 ticket.
"It's very dangerous behaviour," said police spokesperson Sgt. Jason Robillard.
Two distracted driving tickets issued yesterday within six minutes by two different officers to the same driver, in the same car, for using their cell phone. Make road safety a priority. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeaveYourPhoneAlone?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeaveYourPhoneAlone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DontDriveDistracted?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DontDriveDistracted</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VPD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VPD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KnowYourPartBC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KnowYourPartBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/icbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@icbc</a> <a href="https://t.co/zbqUhoT4C8">pic.twitter.com/zbqUhoT4C8</a>
—@VPDTrafficUnitICBC charges an annual premium for drivers who have two or more districted driving violations in a three-year-period.
Two electronic-device convictions amount to $444, on top of regular insurance premiums.
Experienced drivers who end up with two more infractions within a year are at a risk of a three- to 12-month suspension.
"You would think a fine would be enough for somebody to either slow down or leave your phone alone," Robillard said.
"But in this case, it wasn't."