Collingswood Take Note: Targeted Distracted Driving Enforcement Afoot Across NJ

NEW JERSEY – Local police departments across the Garden State will be teaming up with New Jersey State Police as part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month from now until April 30, a press release from the State Attorney General’s Office said.

The commemoration, held annually each April, seeks to bring greater attention to the risks that come when a driver takes his or her eyes off the wheel, according to a press release.

This year’s awareness month kicked off with several state agencies releasing new data that indicated almost one-third of all fatal crashes in New Jersey from 2011 to 2020 involved a distracted driver. Half of all crashes during that same time also had a distracted driver, that data also showed.

“Distracted driving continues to be a serious problem in New Jersey,” New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said in the press release. “Drivers are responsible for their actions behind the wheel of a vehicle. Please put the phone down and eliminate other driving distractions so the focus can be on driving safely.”

The use of a handheld electronic device while driving in New Jersey is illegal, according to the press release. First-time offenders face fines ranging from $200 to $400 and repeat offenders face higher fines and points on their driver’s license, the press release also said.

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