A North Vancouver driver who suffered multiple broken bones in a head-on crash on the Lions Gate Bridge last month will be ticketed for distracted driving and using his smartphone while driving.
West Vancouver Police said Thursday their investigation into the crash - which closed the bridge for one and a half hours Dec. 3 - has led to an allegation the driver was using An electronic device when he drove on to the Stanley Park causeway, shortly before the accident.
Police have no evidence the driver was actively using his smartphone to talk or text at the time of the crash.
The driver, a 28-yearold man from the North Shore, is still recovering from his injuries, which included fractures to his arms, legs and pelvis, said Const. Jeff Palmer of the West Vancouver Police Department.
Police were called to the mid-span of the bridge around 8:05 a.m. Dec. 3 after a northbound '92 Acura Integra driven by the North Vancouver man crossed over into a southbound lane and hit a '11 Acura MDX.
West Vancouver Fire and Rescue crews had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the driver out of the northbound vehicle. A North Vancouver couple in the southbound vehicle were taken to hospital for observation.
Palmer said a driver doesn't have to be actively texting or talking to be ticketed for using an electronic device while driving - a person only has to have the smartphone in their hand. The ticket carries a $167 fine while driving without due care and attention carries a $368 fine.
Palmer said too many people are still using their phones while driving, despite a law forbidding it that came into effect four years ago.
Officers in West Vancouver handed out 503 tickets last year to people driving while using their phones.
