Don’t expect a warning the next time police spot you talking on your phone while driving.
And don’t expect the city’s police force to warn you when they’re conducting a distracted-driving blitz either.
That's the message the Thunder Bay Police Service is sending to the driving public after officers issued 41 tickets for distracted driving and seatbelt infractions Wednesday afternoon.
City police traffic Sgt. Glenn Porter said the idea to hold the unannounced blitz came about after a training exercise for nearly a dozen officers was canceled. With “quite a few officers” on hand, Porter jumped on the opportunity to remind drivers that it's a good idea to miss a call every now and then.
Two plain clothed officers spotted chatty or unbuckled drivers while the other officers stopped motorists.
Police are reminding drivers that distracted driving could cost you $155, while driving without a seatbelt comes with a potential $240 penalty.
Some drivers called the blitz unfair, but Porter said that won’t stop police from conducting similar enforcement programs in the future.
“We’re doing some brainstorming and we have some creative news ways to enforce this law,” said Porter. “You can expect to see the police out there trying to issue as many tickets as possible … the time for warning is over.”
