The Regina Police Service will be raising awareness of the risks associated with using a cell phone while driving through “Operation Bus Cop” which will run from March 1-31, 2017.
Distracted driving is the leading cause of traffic fatalities in the province. In 2015, in Saskatchewan, 36 people were killed and 802 were injured in nearly 5,700 collisions where distracted driving was a factor. Throughout March, the Regina Police Service will be partnering with Regina Transit and SGI to initiate “Operation Bus Cop”; an initiative where uniformed police officers will periodically ride Regina Transit buses to enforce distracted driving laws. The use of Regina Transit will allow officers an excellent vantage point to observe motorists who choose to contravene distracted driving laws.
The Regina Police Service Traffic Safety Unit will kick off “Operation Bus Cop” with a “positive ticketing” campaign, in the afternoon only on February 22nd, to raise awareness of the issue. In this instance, a “positive ticket” will be a warning to any driver caught holding or using an electronic device or driving while distracted. The kick-off and RPS social media campaigns will alert Regina residents that police will be conducting this type of enforcement in the coming weeks. The initiative will also continue throughout the year periodically in an attempt to change the behaviour of motorists who choose to use their cell phones while operating motor vehicles.
Our goal is to reduce the incidents of distracted driving in the City of Regina, with the help of Regina Transit. As a community partner dedicated to making the city’s roads safer, Regina Transit supports the police initiative on distracted driving, said Brad Bells, Director of Transit Services.
“If you want to text, leave the driving to Regina Transit and jump on board,” Bells added.