Penticton RCMP and bylaw officers will be ramping up their ticketing this summer but not the kind of tickets you normally try to avoid.
The positive ticket campaign has returned to Penticton to reward safe behaviour.
“I think our officers will appreciate an opportunity to do something more positive for especially younger people, you know, provide a positive impression and encourage safety,” said Penticton RCMP Cst. James Grandy.
The positive ticket campaign is run in collaboration with the South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society (SOSBIS) to remind people that wearing a helmet can prevent serious injuries.
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Wear helmet, get a ‘positive ticket’
“Our goal is to provide the public with injury prevention ideas so that they can prevent themselves from becoming a client of ours,” said SOSBIS’ Executive Director Linda Sankey.
“People [who are] caught doing something the right way, like wearing your bicycle helmet while you’re riding a device whether a bicycle or a scooter, or any other kind of small-wheel device. And you might get caught wearing your personal floatation device like here at the beach.”
This is the 6th summer that the campaign has run, and the organization says it has been successful so far.
Not only will someone receive a positive ticket but each one comes with a coupon to a local business.
“I think one summer we gave out 800 of these coupons,” said Sankey.
One of the sponsors is Hoodoo Adventures and the company’s event manager, Nathalie Long said they are happy to be on board.
“For us, it’s really important that the kids understand how to get outside safely, especially on the roads, and helmets are one of the first things we teach kids when we take them on mountain bikes and on the road,” said Long.
The campaign launched on Wednesday and will run until the beginning of September.
