Mission RCMP has begun a three-month road safety initiative, promoting slogans such as, “Speed Enforcement… we won’t slow down, unless you do!” along with ICBC’s messages, “Arrive Alive,” “Drive Sober” and “If You’re Looking at Your Phone, You Can’t See the Road.”
“Road safety is one of our annual performance priorities and is a concern identified through consultations with our community,” said Mission RCMP Insp. Ted De Jager.
“We have begun a three-month enforcement initiative to focus on poor driving behaviour. It is incomprehensible why certain people feel justified in speeding or texting as if their time is so much more important than the safety of all those around them. There is no excuse for the excessive speeds we are seeing.”
Over the past three years, Mission RCMP has issued a significant number of violation tickets and other Motor Vehicle Act documents in hopes of getting the message out.
Those numbers include: 1,257 speed related offences; 444 impaired related offences; 4,487 seatbelts, intersections, distracted driving and other.
Data collected shows a decrease in reported pedestrian-related motor vehicle incidents over the past three years, from 15 in 2014 to five to-date in 2016. However, the trend of motor vehicle fatalities have been on the rise, bringing the three-year total to 10. Investigation showed that contributing factors included speed or distracted driving.
Winter is a dangerous time of year for drivers. Between October and December, on average the number of crashes resulting in injury or fatality around the Lower Mainland, due to driving too fast for conditions, spikes by 29 per cent.
RCMP priorities will be speed enforcement, use of electronic devices, occupant restraints, intersection safety and impaired driving.
“As school is back in session, the rainy weather is upon us, and the daylight is decreasing each day, the Mission RCMP will be reminding drivers to slow down and drive according to the conditions of the road,” said Const. Alyn Beerda, of Mission Traffic Services.
Police are reminding drivers, that if you come across a police traffic stop or incident, slow down and move over, or you may receive a fine of $173.