Police are warning against the dangers of distracted driving after a woman was recently caught on camera using a curling iron while driving on a B.C. highway.
The video, filmed last Saturday evening on Highway 19 north of Nanaimo, appears to show a woman curling her hair and steering with her knees while driving at about 90 km/h.
As shocking as the footage may seem, Cpl. Ronda Rempel of B.C. RCMP Traffic Services said she wasn’t surprised by the behaviour.
Unfortunately she’s not the only woman out there grooming on her way to work,” said Rempel. “And we know a lot of men do it, too.”
Despite a police crackdown on distracted driving in recent years, officers still similar incidents, from drivers applying lipstick or eyeshadow to even reading a novel while also holding a cup of coffee, Rempel said.
“Grooming is a huge issue,” she said. “I’ve seen people brushing their teeth while driving, which I don’t understand how you do that without running water.”
Rempel reminded drivers that distracted driving doesn’t only including texting or talking on a cell phone. Anything that takes attention away from the task at hand is a distraction, she said.
“Our biggest message is always keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel,” she said. “If you don’t have both hands on the wheel, you’re distracted. If you’re not looking straight ahead and scanning ahead of you and looking forward, you’re distracted.”
The woman in the video has not been identified. If she were to be charged, however, Cpl. Norm Smith of Nanaimo RCMP, who is investigating the case, said it would likely be for driving without due care and attention, which comes with a $368 fine and six penalty points.
The fact that the driver doesn’t notice that a passenger in the vehicle beside her is filming her shows that she is clearly distracted, he said.
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Video: Woman caught using curling iron while driving on B.C. highway | Metro
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms4EY86IbFo&feature=player_embedded
The video, filmed last Saturday evening on Highway 19 north of Nanaimo, appears to show a woman curling her hair and steering with her knees while driving at about 90 km/h.
As shocking as the footage may seem, Cpl. Ronda Rempel of B.C. RCMP Traffic Services said she wasn’t surprised by the behaviour.
Unfortunately she’s not the only woman out there grooming on her way to work,” said Rempel. “And we know a lot of men do it, too.”
Despite a police crackdown on distracted driving in recent years, officers still similar incidents, from drivers applying lipstick or eyeshadow to even reading a novel while also holding a cup of coffee, Rempel said.
“Grooming is a huge issue,” she said. “I’ve seen people brushing their teeth while driving, which I don’t understand how you do that without running water.”
Rempel reminded drivers that distracted driving doesn’t only including texting or talking on a cell phone. Anything that takes attention away from the task at hand is a distraction, she said.
“Our biggest message is always keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel,” she said. “If you don’t have both hands on the wheel, you’re distracted. If you’re not looking straight ahead and scanning ahead of you and looking forward, you’re distracted.”
The woman in the video has not been identified. If she were to be charged, however, Cpl. Norm Smith of Nanaimo RCMP, who is investigating the case, said it would likely be for driving without due care and attention, which comes with a $368 fine and six penalty points.
The fact that the driver doesn’t notice that a passenger in the vehicle beside her is filming her shows that she is clearly distracted, he said.
more
Video: Woman caught using curling iron while driving on B.C. highway | Metro
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms4EY86IbFo&feature=player_embedded
