Police in Marietta, Georgia are going undercover as construction workers to nab distracted drivers texting, using social media or checking email behind the wheel. Officers are close enough to drivers to see exactly what they’re doing on their phones.
The disguised cops pretend to radio in survey information at a busy intersection to catch distracted drivers in the act. Drivers couldn’t believe they were getting caught and fined $150 while sitting at a light.
“I really think this is the DUI of the future. Impairment is still a problem, but this distracted driving is killing as many people as drunk drivers,” Serkedakis said in a Gizmodo article.
According to the National Post, an RCMP corporal plodded up and down the Trans-Canada highway wearing a tousled wig and using a single crutch to catch distracted drivers.
Over 200,000 distracted drivers have been ticketed in BC since using a cell phone while driving became illegal in January 2010.
Of the 269 people killed on BC roads in 2013, distracted driving was blamed for 77 deaths. That was second only to speed, which was a factor in 78 deaths. Alcohol and drugs were blamed for 63 deaths.
Locking your smartphone in the trunk of your car is a good idea if you can’t resist the urge to respond to a text, call or email.
For more information
- Cops Pose as Road Workers to Catch Drivers Checking Their Phones, Gizmodo
- No Escaping Hobo Cop: New Tactic Aims to Catch Drivers using Cellphones on the Road, National Post
