Students are back to school next week and BC Highway Patrol will be out making sure the roads are safe for their first days back.

Police are stepping up enforcement, with a focus on making sure everyone is wearing a seatbelt and has their full attention on the road this September.

"We have seen far too many fatal collisions in 2025 that would never have happened if the victims were properly restrained by seatbelts," Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol, said in a media release.

"We don’t want anyone to be a victim."

Meanwhile, distracted driving is now one of the top three killers on B.C. roads alongside speeding and impairment.

Picking up a phone while driving, even at a stoplight, is distracted driving, McLaughlin said.

Even if the phone is mounted, and you do more than a

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