A 52-year-old woman has been fined for allegedly driving while using her laptop, the BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) says.
On Nov. 5 around 4:30 p.m., officers were conducting a distracted driving operation in Vernon when they saw what appeared to be a woman driving with an open laptop on her lap.
Police say the blue Honda Pilot was travelling on Highway 97 at the time.
“Driving is a complex task that requires your complete attention to deal with the unexpected,” said Sgt. Michael McLaughlin.
“Just because you’re comfortable behind the wheel, and you have something you ‘need’ to do, doesn’t mean the rules of the road don’t apply to you.”
The woman has been fined $368 for use of an electronic device while driving.
McLaughlin reminds drivers that it isn’t just cell phones that are considered off-limits while you are behind the wheel.
“Prescribed electronic devices in the BC Motor Vehicle Act include televisions, electronic logging devices, and any hand-held device that can process or compute data,” he said.
“It’s astonishing that we need to remind drivers that watching TV and using your laptop is illegal, or that holding a cell phone like a piece of pizza is not ‘hands free,’ but here we are.”
