With distracted driving being the number-one cause of traffic collisions in Saskatchewan, the Regina Police Service (RPS) has partnered with Regina Transit and SGI to conduct Operation Bus Cop, which begins this week.
Beginning March 19 and in the upcoming weeks, RPS is preparing to use traffic safety officers to ride around City of Regina transit buses to detect and discourage distracted drivers with a heavy focus on those who are using their cell phones while they are behind-the-wheel.
Operation Bus Cop was created as an initiative where uniformed police officers periodically ride City of Regina’s transit buses, enforcing distracted driving laws with a goal to reduce the incidents of distracted driving in Regina.
The 2018 edition of Operation Bus Cop began Monday, which is raising awareness of the risks associated with using a cell phone while driving.
In 2016, distracted driving was a factor in 42 traffic fatalities throughout the province causing 1,205 injuries, and was the number one cause of traffic collision injuries. In total, distracted driving caused nearly 8,300 collisions.
Using the city’s transit buses provides officers with an excellent vantage point to observe motorists and will be easier to see who chooses to violate distracted driving laws as they gather evidence and work in tandem with officers in marked cars who then safely stop and ticket the offending drivers.