Fredericton Police issue 351 tickets during safety blitz

The Fredericton Police nabbed 351 people for infractions ranging from speeding to impaired driving during an eight-day stretch last month.

The heightened police presence during Road Safety Week, which occurred before the May long weekend, was intended to remind drivers to follow the rules of the road.

"When you look at the total [of tickets] over such a short time span, it is a significant number of prosecutions," said Fredericton Police Const. Danielle Carmichael.

The police set up roadblocks across the city and issued 176 tickets for speeding, 44 for talking on a cellphone or texting while driving, 41 for not wearing seatbelts, 34 for running stop signs and two for impaired driving.

The RCMP is still compiling the number of tickets issued by its members during Road Safety Week.

John Howell was concentrating on road safety on Tuesday. Howell was waiting for his 16-year-old son to finish his road test.

When his children were learning to drive, Howell said he had a very direct message for them when it came to road safety.

"I taught my kids just do the math, figure it out. You're going to save 30 seconds in your life and youre risking somebody else's life. It's not worth it," he said.

But it wasnt just traditional highway infractions, such as speeding, that Fredericton drivers were having trouble following.

New Brunswick brought in a distracted driving law in2011 that prohibited drivers from talking and texting on cellphones.

Almost two years later, Carmichael said drivers are continuing to break the law.

"They're all areas that we need to continue to work on, continue to enforce and educate the public," she said.

Despite 351 tickets issued in a week, Carmichael said the police can point to some good news in terms of overall road safety.

"In 2012, the traffic accidents overall actually decreased in Fredericton. So from 2011, I think they were in the 900s and last year it was 777," she said.

"So even though you're seeing a significant number of prosecutions, the message is getting out there to people."