Burlington OPP officer walks into rush hour traffic to charge texting driver

Police say a driver has been charged after an OPP officer noticed them texting and walked into rush hour traffic to stop them.

Burlington OPP Sgt. Kevin Westhead tells Global News he was at his cruiser for a traffic stop on the Queen Elizabeth Way near Guelph Line on Thursday evening when he noticed a driver texting right beside him.

Westhead says traffic was crawling, so he walked up to the car in the lane closest to the shoulder and tapped on the window. He says the driver was “oblivious” to his presence despite having his cruiser lights fully activated.

Police say the 41-year-old driver has been charged with distracted and careless driving. According to the OPP, the driver already has two prior distracted driving charges on record.