B.C. distracted driving violations more than double year-over-year in September

British Columbia's distracted-driving enforcement saw a striking spike in September, with electronic-device-while-driving tickets more than doubling compared to the same month last year.

The B.C. Highway Patrol released figures from its September Distracted Driver and Occupant Restraint Campaign showing 1,587 electronic-device tickets across all B.C. regions in September 2026, up from 734 in September 2025. Each ticket carries a $368 fine. Seatbelt violation tickets nearly doubled as well, rising from 456 to 826 over the same period. The enforcement numbers include both warnings and tickets, with warnings comprising approximately 3% of total enforcement issued.

Supt. Lori Orstad of the BCHP offered a direct message to drivers. "It's easy to blame the driver next to you for their bad and unsafe decisions, but maybe it's time to start looking in the mirror," Orstad said. "The numbers are way too high. We should be making better decisions behind the wheel or even as passengers."

The source material does not explain the reason for the year-over-year doubling of violations, nor does it clarify whether the increase reflects more enforcement activity, more violations by drivers, or both.