There was a 33 per cent drop between March and April for traffic violation tickets issued to Tri-Cities drivers in so-called "high-accident zones."
However, a major Port Coquitlam thoroughfare accounted for nearly half of the latest numbers shared by Coquitlam RCMP — and it's still the main focus of ongoing safe driving campaigns.
A total of 172 slips were handed down to commuters for various offences along the Mary Hill Bypass (7B) out of 393 from April.
This included the driver of a black BMW that clocked 112 in a 60 zone of the highway at its intersection with Pitt River Road (pictured).
And that's a go-to spot for police speed-watch teams as 361 known collisions were recorded between 2017 and 2021, per ICBC.
As enforcement for High Accident Zone (HAZE) and High Visibility (HVE) areas are scheduled to continue this summer, Mounties stress Tri-Cities drivers to slow down and be considerate of others' safety.
"We are no April fools when it comes to traffic enforcement," said Coquitlam RCMP traffic services commander S/Sgt. Mark McCutcheon in a release today (June 1) in talking about the latest data available.
For comparison, 582 HAZE tickets were issued in March — from 1,484 written during "Distracted Driving Month" — 464 in February and 392 in January.
"We take road safety seriously, which is why we continue our HVE and HAZE initiatives in order to deter unlawful driving behaviour," McCutcheon added.
"If you tried to be as fast as the Easter bunny, you would lose more than the chocolate in your basket. Excessive speed can result in a $368 fine and your vehicle being impounded."
Elsewhere, hotspots during April's HAZE initiative included 84 tickets at Barnet Highway and Johnson Street (Coquitlam); 77 at Como Lake Avenue and Fowler Court (Coquitlam); and 60 at Lougheed and Shaughnessy Street (Port Coquitlam).
The summer schedule for Coquitlam RCMP's HAZE enforcement team is as follows:
June
June 1 (today)
-
Distracted driving enforcement
June 2
- HAZE team enforcement
- Team enforcement for speed in school zones
June 3
- HAZE team enforcement along the Mary Hill Bypass
- Team enforcement targeting impaired driving using both static and roving measures
June 4
- HAZE team enforcement using the ALPR for driver licences
June 9
- HAZE team enforcement for speed along Como Lake Avenue
- Team enforcement for noise along Como Lake Avenue in Coquitlam
June 10
- HAZE team enforcement along the Mary Hill Bypass
June 11
- HAZE team enforcement along Rural Lake
- Team enforcement targeting driver licences and liquor
June 12
- HAZE team enforcement
- Team enforcement
June 17
- HAZE team enforcement in Port Coquitlam for excessive speeding
June 18
- HAZE team enforcement
- Team enforcement for child restraints and park zones
June 19
- HAZE team enforcement in Port Coquitlam
- Team enforcement along Lougheed Highway
June 20
- HAZE team enforcement along the Mary Hill Bypass for speeding
June 25
- HAZE team enforcement
- Early-morning team enforcement targeting impaired driving
June 26
- HAZE team enforcement in Port Coquitlam
- Team enforcement along Lougheed Highway
June 27
- HAZE team enforcement along the Mary Hill Bypass for speeding
June 28
- HAZE team enforcement along Barnet Highway in Coquitlam
- Joint team enforcement targeting distracted driving
July
July 3
- Joint commercial vehicle operation
July 4
- HAZE team enforcement targeting high risk driving
July 5
- HAZE team enforcement targeting speed along Lougheed Highway
July 6
- HAZE team enforcement along Mariner Way
July 11
- HAZE team enforcement in playground zones in Coquitlam
July 12
- HAZE team enforcement in Port Coquitlam
July 13
- HAZE team enforcement targeting loud mufflers
- Team enforcement for noise
July 14
- HAZE team enforcement targeting impaired driving
July 19
- HAZE team enforcement in Coquitlam for traffic control devices
July 20
- HAZE team enforcement along the Mary Hill Bypass targeting speed
July 21
- HAZE team enforcement targeting impaired driving along United Boulevard
July 27
- HAZE team enforcement targeting distracted driving along Barnet Highway
July 28
- HAZE team enforcement along Como Lake Avenue targeting speed
July 29
- HAZE team enforcement targeting speeding along the Mary Hill Bypass
July 30
- HAZE team enforcement around Belcarra Lakes
