Daycare driver fired after distracted driving ticket with child on board

A bus driver for a Surrey daycare has been fired after police ticketed her for distracted driving Wednesday.

Police say the driver for Creative All Stars Childcare received a $368 ticket for texting behind the wheel at a red light.

They say there was a child on the bus at the time.

"It's concerning that people who are professional drivers, being paid to drive, are out there doing the same thing everyone does," said Sgt. Garry Clarke with Surrey RCMP.

"In some cases they're driving bigger vehicles ... if they make a mistake, they don't see the car stopped, the pedestrian crossing the street, it can mean more carnage."

The ticket was handed out at the intersection of King George Boulevard and 72nd Avenue where police and volunteers were watching out for drivers using devices.

Creative All Stars director Jug Bilg says he has notified Fraser Health, their governing body, about the incident.

"This has never happened before," he wrote. "We are taking immediate steps to ensure it doesn't happen again."

During September, police have been running blitzes to crack down on distracted driving, which ICBC says leads to about 78 deaths each year. That's more than impaired driving.

Clarke say many drivers simply aren't getting the message, and was frank when asked what it would take for some people to change their ways.

"It's going to take something serious happening to a loved one … it's usually something like that that convinces people it's not for them to be doing," he said.

Clarke says it's not just texting that officers see: they've seen people shaving, reading newspapers, putting on makeup and eating.

He says anyone who feels tempted to use a phone while driving should consider putting the device in the glove compartment or the trunk.

With files from Brenna Rose