Officers from the Cherry Hill Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of the national UDrive. UText. UPay. enforcement campaign.
Beginning April 1 and running through April 21, the high visibility law enforcement initiative will target motorists who engage in dangerous distracted driving behaviors such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving.
“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 2012 alone, 3,328 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 421,000 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 2014 survey conducted by the FDU PublicMind Poll for the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 68% of respondents said they “very often” see people driving and talking on a hand held cell phone. 41% of respondents said they “very often” see driver’s texting.
The campaign is being carried out during the month of April, which is National Distracted Driving Month. The campaign is modeled after similar successful high visibility enforcement campaigns such as Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.