Distracted driving appears to have been the major cause of an accident that left a 27-year-old man with a broken leg.
A 17-year-old woman was handed tickets for distracted driving and failing to yield for a pedestrian following the accident on Bellerose Drive last weekend.
Failing to yield for a pedestrian carries a $575 fine and distracted driving carries a $172 fine.
The woman, who was driving a Ford Ranger pick-up truck, collided with the man in a marked crosswalk near Ironwood Point on Bellerose about 10:40 p.m. Sunday.
Const. Janice Schoepp with the St. Albert RCMP said it appears the woman did not have her full attention on the road ahead.
“We believe she had sent a text.”
She said the man will recover, but the injury he suffered in the collision was very serious.
“I believe he had to have a rod inserted in his leg, I believe it was broken in two spots.”
Legislation against distracted driving became law last September. Schoepp said since that time police haven’t issued a huge number of tickets, but that could change this month when the RCMP, along with police forces around the province, will target the issue of distracted driving.
“This is something, because February is distracted driving month, that in the detachment we have spoken about focusing on for the month.”
Schoepp said focusing in on something like distracted driving is a good way to remind drivers who might have crept back into old habits.
“Everyone is diligent at the beginning. It is like a New Year’s resolution and then we get a little lax, so people’s awareness needs to be raised again.”
