Thought you’d out-fox police by keeping your cell phone on your leg as you drive and text on London streets?

Think again.

Police have teamed up with London Transit to crack down on distracted driving, using a high perch from inside buses to spot cell phones that would otherwise be out of sight.

Call it an eye-from-the-sky: The officer on the bus spots someone using a cell phone, then radios police who follow the bus in vehicles with only the faintest hint that they are police cruisers, what police call subdued markings.

“He’s got a cell phone in his right hand. The cell phone is resting on his leg,” Const. John Porter radioed Tuesday to officers in two cars and a pickup.

A clear line of sight is needed because many motorists deny that they used their cell phones, London police Sgt. Amanda Pfeffer said. “It’s a rare occurrence that people admit it and apologize,” she said.

Young adults on the bus applauded the initiative.

“I don’t think texting is worth (risking) lives,” said Gabriel Viegas, a 22-year-old who takes the bus to Fanshawe College where he’s studying digital marketing. “A lot of the time I see (motorists) texting at red lights.”

By using London Transit, police will deter people from using a cell phone every time they see a bus, said 20-year-old Kate Scott, who says she knows friends who still text and drive.

“It’s a very good idea,” she said.

In 90 minutes Tuesday, police ticketed three drivers for using a handheld communication device and another two for not using a seat-belt.

In September, Ontario stiffened the punishment for using a handheld communication device: A $490 charge and three demerit points, as much as $1,000 if you fight your ticket.

If convicted of distracted driving, a novice driver will be subject to escalating sanctions, with a 30-day suspension after the first occurrence, 90 days for the second and cancellation and removal from the graduated licensing system for a third occurrence.

Drivers who endanger others because of any distraction, including hand-held and hands-free devices, may be charged with careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act and face getting six demerit points, fines of up to $2,000, a jail term of six months and a two-year licence suspension. Motorists even can be charged with the criminal offence dangerous driving that can lead to jail terms of up to five years.

jsher@postmedia.com

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