Chris Christie's Wife Caught In Distracted Driving Crackdown

Mary Pat Christie found herself in a little bit of trouble when she was pulled over as part of a distracted-driving crackdown earlier this year.

Gov. Chris Christie's wife was pulled over on April 10, according to a video released by nj.com, as part of a crackdown started by Attorney General Christopher Porrino that ran from April 1 to April 21.

In the video, Christie said "she wasn't making a phone call" when she was pulled over by a Bernardsville police officer. "You can't have it in your hand at all," the officer said, referring to the cell phone.

Brian Murray, a spokesman for Christie, responded to Patch this way: "Much ado about a non-story."

The crackdown was a response to an 8 percent spike in New Jersey traffic fatalities in 2016, largely attributable to the increasing scourge of distracted driving, Porrino said in a release.

As part of the crackdown, Porrino and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety said the state’s #77 alert system, previously used for reporting aggressive driving, will now be used to report all forms of dangerous driving - including offenses such as operating a vehicle while looking at a cell phone.

Enforcement measures were stepped up on the road, and in an initiative believed to be one of the first of its kind in the nation, warning letters will be directed to those spotted driving while distracted on New Jersey roadways.

“These deaths and injuries are not simply statistics. Those are husbands and wives, sons and daughters, parents and grandparents. How many would still be alive today if others had been paying full attention to driving?” said Porrino. “The main mission of the Attorney General’s Office is to promote and protect public safety, and protecting motorists and pedestrians is as important any other initiative we take. We have an obligation to those who suffered losses to combat distracted driving with every means we have.”

Here is the nj.com video:

YouTube video/photo