Law enforcement officers from the Hightstown Police Department and East Windsor Township Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay. enforcement campaign., The enforcement campaign, which began April 1 and will run through April 21, is a high visibility law enforcement initiative that will target motorists who engage in dangerous distracted driving behaviors such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving. The campaign is underwritten by a $5,500 NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety grant as part of a statewide initiative., “Distracted driving is a serious issue on our roadways,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2014 alone, 3,179 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 431,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.”, Despite the fact that using a hand-held cell phone or texting while driving is illegal in New Jersey, the practice appears to be widespread. In a recent survey conducted by the FDU PublicMind Poll for the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 67 percent of respondents said they “very often” see people driving and talking on a hand held cell phone. Of those respondents, 42 percent said they “very often” see driver’s texting., The Division of NJHTS, while expressing concern over all distracted behavior, notes that texting, which requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver, is by far the most alarming activity. Five seconds is the average time a driver’s eyes are off the road while texting, enough time while traveling 55 m.p.h. to cover the length of a football field. Additionally, it is the youngest and most inexperienced drivers that are most at risk, with 10 percent of all crashes involving drivers under the age of 20 attributable to distracted driving., “This initiative is geared to promote the responsible operation of motor vehicles for everyone through increased public awareness, education, and enforcement of existing state distracted driving laws,” said East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov. “Motorists should give their full attention to the roadway while driving and do their part to help keep our roadways safer for all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Distracted behavior as texting and hand held smartphones is a general concern in our communities but especially among younger less experienced drivers.”, The campaign is being carried out during April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The New Jersey campaign is modeled after similar successful high visibility enforcement programs such as Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
