After receiving numerous complaints of distracted driving, Windsor police have taken a more covert approach to catch motorists in the act.
For the first time Wednesday, plain clothed officers were on foot at various busy areas around the city searching for drivers using their cell phones. The officer would then radio a nearby traffic unit to pull them over.
"We hear about it all day long and obviously sometimes it's difficult to enforce when you're driving a fully-marked cruiser," says Public Information Officer Sgt. Matthew D'Asti. "People are seeing you and they're hiding their phones all the time."
More than 30 vehicles were stopped in less than two hours. "Even more would have been stopped, but they didn't have enough traffic officers to conduct those vehicle stops," he says.
Distracted driving laws have been in place for several years, but D'Asti says this initiative is meant to educate the public. "They could be issued tickets and it is still entirely the officer's discretion," says D'Asti. "This is a specific campaign and it is targeted at education."
Distracted driving will land you a $280 fine. "The $280 could be the least of your worries," says D'Asti. "It could be a fatal collision that you may be the cause of."
