Distracted driver with 14 infractions banned from driving

A Vancouver-area woman who racked up 14 distracted driving tickets infive years for using her cellphone behind the wheel is nowprohibited from driving in B.C.

Richmond RCMP tweeted the update on Tuesday, about three weeks after thewoman made headlines for racking up offence number 12 in Richmond and then, within days, adding offences 13 and 14 to thetally.

In one of the incidents the woman was so distracted by her cellphone she almost hit a Richmond police officer.

When the last infraction was recorded in Vancouver, policevowed to seek a driving prohibition.

Cpl. Dennis Hwang with the Richmond RCMPtold CBC News a detailed report about the driver was submitted to RoadSafetyBC, which is the body that handed out thedriving prohibition.

Hwang says that because of privacy concerns the name of the driver and the length of the driving ban cannot be made public.

"Our message to everyone is #LeaveYourPhoneAlone," wrote Hwang in an emailed statement. "One simple phone call, text message, or checking social media can mean a momentary lapse of attention. That loss of attention can have serious or lifelong repercussions."

In March of this year Richmond RCMP issued 347 distracted driving tickets, a 234 per cent increase over the148 tickets issued in March2015.

According to one expert, distracted driving, especiallytexting while driving,will become the largest cause of youthdriver deaths in Canada in the not too distant future, overtaking impaired driving and speeding.

With files from Karin Larsen