Police hop on a bus to spot sneaky texters

Drivers who text behind the wheel have gotten good at hiding the habit, so Quebec police have stepped up their spotting tacticswith a bus that gives thema better view of bad behaviour.

Police and highway patrollers have hopped on board thenew pilot project, which sees them scanning the roads from inside a large bus.They say the elevated viewhelps them catch drivers texting.

"We see a lot of people who have a cellphone at the wheel, to talk or text, on their thigh," said Isabelle Gaudreau from Quebec traffic control.

"It's not the sort of thing we can see when we're in a patrol vehicle. But in the bus, we see it clearly."

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While officers in the bus observe drivers from above, a dozen police cars follow behind to intercept those who've been flagged.

In addition to the use of cellphones while driving, the operation revealed other infringements of the Highway Safety Code.

"The seat belt also it surprised us to see how much, especially drivers of heavy vehicles," said Gaudreau.

The pilot project began Tuesday and officials are already calling it a success more than70 tickets werehanded out in just a fewdays in Quebec City and on the province's highways.

"We've had excellent results, above our expectations," said Gaudreau.

Motorists who are caught texting and driving face a $120 fine and four demerit points.

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