An ICBC survey found that most BC drivers know that using their phones while driving is risky behaviour.

However, police in Kamloops still handed out over 150 tickets and warnings to offending drivers last month.

In Vancouver, there were over 2,100 tickets issued and ICBC Road Safety Manager Mark Milner says being distracted by your phone can have serious consequences.

“Say you are at an intersection and people are crossing the street, it’s dangerous for you to be ignoring others while you pay attention to your phone,” he said.

“If you’re not being triggered to open up your phone or look at your phone, that’s one step towards being less distracted behind the wheel.”

He says drivers can turn on the “do-not-disturb” option on their cellphones, or wrap a rubber band around it to make it harder to use.

Another good idea is to keep you phone out of reach when you are driving.

“So you can put it in the centre console or the glove box of your vehicle, keep it in your pocket or your purse or your backpack,” Milner said.

“If you are a fully licensed driver, it’s legal for you to use your phone hands free. It’s very specific what you need to do for that, but it’s really a lot safer if you can also use it eyes free.”

Since 2010 when the distracted driving law took effect, 230,000 people have been given distracted driving tickets, including over 60 people will 11 or more tickets.