York Regional Police have introduced the “distracted destroyer,” a fictional hockey player who goes after people on their cellphones, as the service continues to focus on stopping distracted driving.
Traffic enforcement officers released a third video on Friday as a part of the “Keep Your Head Up” campaign, which police said in a statement “references the tried and true advice given to people learning to play the game of hockey.”
READ MORE: York police use hockey adage in distracted driving awareness campaign
The parody video released on Friday shows Deputy Chief Tom Carrique speaking at a news conference before it cuts to scenes of the hockey player tackling people who have their heads down, engaged on their cellphones.
It goes on to show multiple scenarios where the hockey player engages with others, including from the back seat of a van as a driver behind the wheel checks his phone just before the van crashes.
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In November, officers handed out hockey pucks with a message to drivers.
“Our officers really do give a puck. Keep your head up and don’t text and drive,” police said on Twitter at the time.
Meanwhile, York Regional Police said their officers laid 5,577 distracted driving charges in 2017 to drivers using handheld devices. The number of charges last year increased by 21 per cent compared to 2016.
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“Despite increased fines of $490 and three demerit points, drivers continue to risk their safety and the safety of other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists by being inattentive or using their mobile phones while driving,” police said.
“Even a second of driver inattention can have tragic consequences.”
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