On Wednesday, a police officer in Vancouver, B.C., was faced with the mother of all distracted driving cases after pulling over an individual that was wearing headphones while driving.
The headphones, it turns out, were just the tip of the iceberg. After approaching the car, the officer found that the driver had a Samsung tablet and iPhone tied to his steering wheel with a piece of string.
One would think a scene like that would end with a hefty distracted driving ticket, but in the end, the driver in question escaped the incident with just an $81 ticket for failing to produce his driver’s license. He was also instructed to remove his tablet and smartphone from his steering wheel.
The Vancouver Police Department told Global News that the officer who pulled over the driver decided to educate him instead of fining him for distracted driving. I like to think that the officer was so taken aback by the ingenuity of the driver that it didn’t seem to proper to give him a bigger ticket.
Indeed, there’s some speculation that a distracted driving ticket may not have held up in court because because the driver had his tablet and iPhone affixed to the steering wheel of his car. Two important stipulations of B.C.’s distracted driving law is that drivers can use an electronic device as long as they they’re not holding it in their hand and it’s fixed to their vehicle.
Can't make it up. Guy had iPad and cell phone attached by strings on steering wheel while driving! Yes, that's his ticket he's holding. pic.twitter.com/h5WoA2ac87
— VPD Traffic Section (@VPDTrafficUnit) November 15, 2017
In B.C., the first time a person is caught driving while distracted by an electronic device, the fine is $368 and four demerit points. A second distracted driving ticket is also $368. Should someone get two more distracted driving tickets in less than 12 months, they have to undergo a review of their driving record.
[source]Twitter[/source][via]Global News[/via]
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