Regina police bus ad aims to drive down rising distracted driving numbers

Phones down, eyes up.

That’s the message the Regina Police Service (RPS) is sending to drivers in its latest campaign against distracted driving.

As of Thursday, three city buses will be driving around with photos of two cops pasted on the sides, giving people the ‘I’m watching you’ look with the words “Hey! We see that phone…” beside them.

Sgt. Mark Verbeek, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the RPS Traffic Unit, hopes the new ad reminds people of Operation Bus Cop, which now runs intermittently year-round in the city.

“Hopefully, it’ll encourage them to put down their phone, or just as a reminder that there actually could be a police officer even sitting behind those pictures who could be radioing back to another officer to go and pull them over,” Verbeek explained at the ad unveiling Thursday afternoon.

The City of Regina, SGI and the Regina Police Service launched the Operation Bus Cop program on Nov. 28, 2019, to combat distracted driving. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)

He also noted it’s not just police officers keeping their eyes on drivers who might be using their phones or not wearing their seatbelts.

“We actually find that the passengers on the bus are partaking in the observations of other drivers and pointing out offenders themselves, so it also works as an educational tool within the bus for those passengers,” Verbeek said.

Last month, police around the province issued a record number of distracted driving tickets at 1,290. Out of that number, all but 142 were for using a cellphone behind the wheel.

The province is upping the fine for distracted driving in the new year.

For first-time offenders, it’s currently a $280 ticket plus four demerits off their licences. Come February, it’ll be a $580 ticket on top of those four demerits.

Last year in Saskatchewan, 22 people were killed and another 774 were hurt in crashes connected to distracted or inattentive driving.