A Lake Country woman’s fury over an overt case of distracted driving is evident in the video she took to document it.
“Hey *******! Are you kidding me?!” Jamie Lynn yelled out the window in clear frustration at a young man who is seen staring at his phone while heading south on Glenmore Road Thursday evening at about 6 p.m.
The man is seemingly oblivious to her calls, honks and attempts to get his attention.
“I was yelling at him for 30-40 seconds before I even started filming on my phone. He didn’t even look up with my screaming and yelling and honking,” explained Lynn.
“I mean it was over a minute of filming before he even realized we were at his side. I was hanging out the passenger window filming him and he clearly was not even aware I was there.”
She said the man finally looked up at her in surprise and lowered his phone.
“He then picked it right back up and started looking at it again,” said Lynn in disbelief. “It’s a very busy area and at 6 p.m. too, holy cow.”
Shortly after this incident the man reportedly turned on to a side street and disappeared.
Lynn said she felt compelled to start recording as she wanted others to witness what she had.
“He did not look up once, and he was going 70 km/h,” said Lynn. “I was just infuriated, I was horrified. If there were people in front of him he would have bowled them down. He had no idea. He shouldn’t be on the road.”
She said she could clearly see him scrolling through his Facebook page while he drove. She has since reported the incident to police and hopes this man is held responsible.
“It has to stop, it’s got to stop,” said Lynn. “I’ve never seen it this bad before, I was so rattled, I was shaking so bad.
“Someone that irresponsible should not be behind the wheel.”
Lynn’s video was sent to Kelowna RCMP who offered a stern warning against the man’s actions.
“Distracted drivers, just like impaired drivers, are an immediate danger to everyone around them,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
“By far the best thing the motoring public can do is have their passenger call 9-1-1, or pull over and call 9-1-1 themselves.”
O’Donaghey said police can follow up with video, photo or dash-cam evidence later, after they’ve had a chance to get the driver off the road.
“We also encourage motorists to ensure that they continue to drive their vehicle at the posted speed limit and in a safe manner, even when they or their passengers spot a distracted or dangerous driver.”
Check out the video above.