The Hamilton Township Police Department will join other law enforcement agencies throughout the State of New Jersey in an April initiative to crackdown and combat distracted driving on area roads.
“Distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic on New Jersey’s roadways, being cited as a major contributing factor in over 817,000 motor vehicle crashes in the state from 2010 to 2014. Nationwide 3,179 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2014 alone.”
Enforcement by police will be done using a combination of traditional and innovative strategies to crack down on motorists who text and drive. This effort is a part of the national U Drive, U Text, U Pay high-visibility enforcement (HVE) campaign that combines periods of intense anti-texting enforcement coupled with advertising and media outreach to let people know about the enforcement and convince them to obey the law. U Drive, U Text, U Pay enforcement strategies include roving police patrols, spotters on highway overpasses, and stationary police vehicles prominently placed at strategic locations.
Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include:
- Texting
- Using a cell phone or smartphone
- Eating and drinking
- Talking to passengers
- Grooming
- Reading, including maps
- Using a navigation system
- Watching a video
- Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player
But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.
