British Columbia

Undercover police officers target distracted drivers in construction zones

Anyone speeding past a flagger at a roadside construction zone might be in for a surprise today.

Dressing up as a construction worker is just one of many disguises used by police to catch drivers

Undercover police officers will be at two construction zones in Vancouver today watching for distracted and speeding drivers. (Glen Kugelstadt)

Anyone speeding past a flagger at a roadside construction zone in Vancouver might be in for a surprise today.

That's because undercover police officers are targeting drivers at two sites in the city.

Along with speeding, they'll be watching for distracted or aggressive drivers and those driving without due care.

It's not the first time undercover officers have dressed up as construction workers to catch drivers.The trick has been used frequently by police forces across Canada.

A Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer disguised as a construction worker catches drivers breaking traffic laws in construction zones. (CBC)

But there have also been some more creative variations. Recently North Vancouver police put an undercover officer — dressed up as a hydro worker — in a cherry picker in order to catch drivers using their phones at a traffic light.

Distracted driving is a big problem in British Columbia, even to the point where police officers use cherry pickers to nab distracted drivers. (Twitter / North Vancouver RCMP)

And last year a Vernon RCMP officer dressed up as a panhandler at an intersection to catch drivers unaware.

A Vernon RCMP officer posed as a panhandler last year to catch drivers using cell phones or not wearing seat belts, ticketing 11 drivers in just one hour. (Vernon RCMP)
A police officer dressed as a construction worker pulls over a driver in Ottawa in 2013.