Police catch drivers playing Pokemon Go

Kate FieldingSouth Western Times

South West traffic police are warning Pokemon Go fanatics not to play and drive following a spate of drivers being caught.

Officer-in-charge Sgt Craig Clarke said police fined five people in the space of 35 minutes last Wednesday on Koombana Drive in Bunbury.

Sgt Clarke said the behaviour was unacceptable and people needed to use common sense.

“They’re driving along with their phones to locate pokemon and not paying attention,” he said.

“People need to know how dangerous it is — they’re not even looking where they’re going.”

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He said police were on the roads last week to try and educate drivers, but he was shocked by how many people were using their phones while driving.

He said police would continue to patrol Pokemon Go “hotspots”.

“If we go down there next week and give out 20 tickets, at least we know we’ve warned people,” he said.

The penalty for driving while on a phone is $400 and three demerit points.

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