Public support for three proposed penalties for offenders is up markedly since 2022.
Vancouver, BC [June 23, 2023] – More than three-in-five British Columbians noticed a distracted driver on the road over the past four weeks, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 62% of British Columbians say they witnessed a driver talking on a hand-held cell phone or texting while driving over the past four weeks, up 16 points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in April 2022.
On a regional basis, residents of the Fraser Valley are more likely to report seeing a distracted driver recently (82%) than their counterparts in Northern BC (66%), Vancouver Island (63%), Southern BC (59%) and Metro Vancouver (57%).
Drivers caught emailing, texting, or using an electronic device while driving in British Columbia face a fine of $368 and four penalty points (currently equivalent to $214) in their insurance penalty point premium. This means a total of $582 for a first-time infraction.
More than half of British Columbians (54%, -2) believe the current fine for distracted driving in the province is “about right”, while 29% (+5) consider it “too low” and 12% (-3) deem it “too high.”
Since 2022, support for three possible penalties for drivers caught emailing, texting, or using an electronic device in British Columbia has risen across the province.
Just over two thirds of British Columbians (67%, +3) are in favour of seizing the electronic devices of repeat offenders—a proportion that rises to 79% among those aged 55 and over.
More than three-in-five British Columbians (62%, +7) support doubling the current fine for distracted driving to $1,240.
“Most British Columbians who voted for each of the three major parties in the 2020 provincial election believe it is time to implement steeper fines for distracted drivers,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Three-in-five residents who cast ballots for the BC Liberals or the BC Green Party (60% each), along with 68% of those who voted for the BC New Democratic Party (NDP), agree on this issue.”
More than half of British Columbians (56%, +4) are in favour of suspending distracted drivers for a year. Support for this course of action rises to 59% in Metro Vancouver.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from June 10 to June 12, 2023, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490 [e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca