Cops In Edison, Metuchen Begin Crackdown On Distracted Driving

EDISON, NJ – On Friday, police in Edison and Metuchen began a month-long campaign to crackdown on distracted driving.

“U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign has begun statewide, with law enforcement officers will crackdown on drivers who text, talk on a cell phone, or engage in similar conduct while driving.

Drivers caught texting or talking will be fined between $200 to $400 for a first offense and this could increase to $800 with the addition of three insurance points in subsequent violations.

A total of 202 law enforcement agencies received $1,600,800 in federal funds for the enforcement. Edison got $5,250 and Metuchen received $8,750.

Last year, the “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” campaign resulted in 8,014 citations for cell phone use/texting and 4,346 for careless driving, officials said. In addition, 6,151 speeding citations and 2,944 citations for seat belt violations were issued.

“Distracted driving kills people – it is that simple. And these deaths are entirely preventable,” Acting Attorney General Platkin said. “As part of the Murphy Administration’s focus on the safety of all New Jerseyans, we are stepping up education and enforcement efforts throughout the State and calling on drivers to do their part and remain alert and focused at all times behind the wheel.”

Distracted driving has long been a leading cause of crashes in New Jersey. According to data, driver inattention accounted for more than half of all crashes recorded in the state from 2011 through 2020.

A 2021 Highway Traffic Safety study conducted on six NJ corridors with high incidents of distracted driving crashes found that at any given time 20 percent of motorists were driving distracted

Researchers traveled nearly 15,000 miles on 10 roadways in a vehicle mounted with cameras to observe, record, and document distracted driving in real-time. The study also found that driver distraction was higher on weekdays than on weekends.

Over 29,000 people have died nationwide since 2012 in distracted driving crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.