Victoria police pose as flaggers to bust bad drivers
Undercover officer and enforcement team will be at unknown construction site Tuesday afternoon
Victoria Police are going undercover today in an effort to bust motorists who aren't obeying the rules of the road in construction zones.
An officer dressed as a flagger will be posted at an unknown construction site and an enforcement response team will be waiting to ticket negligent drivers.
Const. Mike Russell says the department has received multiple complaints from flaggers regarding distracted and speeding drivers.
"You talk about having somebody who is just standing there in some bright yellow garb, not really any protection, and then you have a 2,000 pound car. Even if it's driving 30 km/h, that's going to hurt if it hits you," says Russell.
In October, 29-year-old Maggie Feeley died two days after being hit by a fully-loaded dump truck in Duncan. She was the third flagger to be killed in B.C. in the last five years.
Last month, a flagger was struck by a vehicle on the Bear Mountain Parkway near Victoria.
Russell says the undercover effort will make the road safer for everyone.
"We really want to go out and make sure that they're safe while they're keeping those that area working on our roads safe."
With files from CBC's Lisa Johnson