RCMP wants to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world, and they are cracking down on distracted drivers this weekend in an attempt to reach that goal.

Long weekend safety blitzes are nothing new, but what’s different this time around is the RCMP is borrowing a few ideas from the Moneyball philosophy made famous by the 2011 Brad Pitt film.

The movie is based on Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane. Beane relies heavily on statistics to put together a winning baseball team on a shoestring budget. Corporal Robert McDonald says the RCMP is doing something similar to cut down on deadly crashes.

“We’re looking at trends,” he explains. “When we look at fatalities, distracted driving is responsible for a huge portion of those. We’re targeting those and it’s intelligence-led. We’re looking at past accidents and learning what caused them.”

McDonald’s theory is targeting people who talk on their cell phones or text while they’re behind the wheel will lead to a decrease in crashes attributed to distracted drivers.
More than 930 people have been killed in collisions on BC roads over the last three years.

Mounties will also be looking for drunk drivers and people who aren’t wearing seat belts between now and Monday evening.