Distracted Driving Enforcement and Education Campaign, UDrive UText UPay.
(Lacey Township) — Law enforcement officers from the Lacey Township Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s UDrive UText UPay enforcement campaign. Beginning tomorrow, April 1st, 2017 and continuing through April 21st, 2017, 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 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% of respondents said they “very often” see people driving and talking on a hand-held cell phone. 42% of respondents said they “very often” see driver’s texting.
The campaign is being carried out during the month of 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.
Lacey Township Police will be utilizing both marked and “stealth” marked vehicles to conduct these patrols.
-Chief Michael C. DiBella