You wouldn't ride a bull while shaving, so why would you drive distracted?
That's what the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is asking as part of "Stupid Combinations," a contest that asks the public to design postcards that illustrate the dangers of using a cell phone while driving.
"We have to try to break this cycle, break this behaviour, change the attitudes," Staff Sgt. Howard Chow said at a Wednesday news conference.
The police, in partnership with advertising agency DDB Canada, have come up with a few humourous postcards of their own.
One of them shows a hunter carrying a baby in a sling:
Another postcard shows a man doing bench presses at the bottom of a pool:
Police are also sharing stories about distracted driving as part of the campaign. In one example, an officer issued two tickets in three minutes to a motorist who wouldn't get off his cell phone.
In another instance, a woman didn't stop texting despite ten police motorcycles pulling up next to her.
Despite the campaign's lighthearted tone, cops are taking the issue of distracted driving seriously.
The VPD introduced it with the help of Brad Gorski, who checked his phone while driving in 2005 and was hit by a semi-truck. He spent the next seven weeks in a coma, and later had to learn how to walk, talk and eat all over again.
"Let me tell you, it's not worth it, just put your phones away while driving," he said.
Contest entrants are asked to submit their postcards on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #stupidcombos. The winner gets a police ride-along, a tour of the dog squad or the mounted police unit.
The campaign comes as ICBC works with police and the provincial government on a month-long campaign to crack down on distracted driving.
Drivers can be fined $167 and lose three points on their licences for talking on their cell phones.
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