Whitehorse RCMP crack down on cellphone use while driving

Police in Whitehorse are cracking down this week on people using hand-held cellphones while driving.

RCMP set up their operation at Main Street and Second Avenue, one of the city's busiest intersections.

It's legal for drivers to use a cellphone as long as it's not in their hand, but the Yukon RCMP's head of traffic services says ignoring the ban is all too common.

"We see them daily, but it's not always easy to actually ...  prove that case that it was a phone or what it was," he said. "If it takes us using unmarked vehicles, if it takes us using plainclothes officers, we're going to do what we're going to do. It's obviously a dangerous practice."

This was the first time the RCMP in Yukon have used a spotter dressed in street clothes. Pollard says the officer has a much better view inside vehicles.

Police have given out around 30 tickets so far this week with the fines starting at $287.