Text:Text: A Metro Vancouver driver faced hefty consequences for using their phone to take a photo while stopped at a stoplight. Metro Vancouver Transit Police shared the incident on social media as a reminder of the costs associated with using phones while driving. The driver received a fine of $368 and lost four points on their license, resulting in a total cost of $582. According to ICBC data, distraction, including the use of electronic devices, contributed to 80 fatal crashes in the province in 2022. The use of devices while stopped at red lights is also prohibited under the law.
A Metro Vancouver driver who took out his phone to take a photo while stopped at a stoplight was given a hefty fine.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police used the anecdote in a social media post as a cautionary tale about the costs of breaking the rules around using a phone while driving a vehicle.
“It’s said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, this one is worth $368 and four points. After paying the $214 points premium, the car driver/photographer photo costs him $582,” wrote the police.
The video shows the driver taking a photo of a bright blue car in the adjacent lane.
According to ICBC data, distraction, including the use of electronic devices, was a contributing factor to 80 fatal crashes in the province in 2022 — the most recent year for which data is available. The five-year average from 2018 to 2022 was 78. Additionally, distracted driving was a factor in 38 percent of crashes reported to police, according to the insurer.
The ban on using devices such as cell phones while driving has been in effect since 2010, and the ICBC website notes that the ban applies even when stopped at a red light, as was the case with this driver.
