British Columbia driver faces hefty fine for taking photos

Vancouver subway driver fined for taking photo at traffic lightVancouver subway driver fined for taking photo at traffic light Metro Vancouver Transit Police (MVTP) took to social media to warn about the consequences of using your phone while driving. A Metro Vancouver driver was issued a hefty $368 fine for taking a photo while stopped at a light. Including the points bonus, the total cost to the driver was $582. MVTP captured the incident on video, which shows the driver taking a photo of a blue car in the adjacent lane. According to ICBC, distraction, including the use of electronic devices, was a contributing factor in 80 fatal crashes in British Columbia in 2022. Distracted driving also accounted for 38 per cent of all crashes reported to police this year. A ban on using devices like cellphones while driving has been in place since 2010. This ban applies even while stopped at a red light, as was the case for the driver in this incident.

A Vancouver Metro driver who pulled out his phone to take a photo while stopped at a traffic light has been hit with a hefty fine.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police used an anecdote contained in a social media post as a cautionary tale about the costs of breaking phone-while-driving laws.

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, this one is worth $368 and four points. After paying the $214 fee, the driver/photographer’s photo costs him $582,” police wrote.

The footage shows the driver taking a photo of a light blue car in the adjacent lane.

According to ICBC data, distraction, including the use of electronic devices, was a contributing factor in 80 fatal crashes in the province in 2022 — the latest year for which data is available. The five-year average from 2018 to 2022 was 78. Additionally, distracted driving was a factor in 38 per cent of crashes reported to police, according to the insurer.

The ban on using devices such as cell phones while driving has been in place since 2010. The ICBC website notes that the ban applies even when a driver is stopped at a red light, which was the case with this driver.