Police used a big white bus to catch people texting behind the wheel north of Montreal on Wednesday.
Agents from the SAAQ and the SQ rode the bus up and down Highway 15 in Laval, getting a perfect vantage point to look into vehicles from above and catch people texting and driving. The officers were also on the lookout for people not wearing their seatbelts.
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“Distraction while driving causes half the accidents in Quebec,” said Control Routier spokesperson Marie-Josee Michaud. “We are there to verify that everyone respects the law, and it’s really to save lives.”
READ MORE: After 10,000 distracted driving tickets in Montreal, police, SAAQ launch new campaign
“If you look down for four to six seconds while you’re driving, you just crossed a football field with your eyes closed,” said Michaud.
She says even grabbing your phone to check your GPS is illegal.
“Holding the cellphone in your hand is an infraction,” Michaud told Global News.
The Quebec government is set to tighten the rules of the road, and fines for distracted driving could soon be $300 or more.