Gloucester Township Police Department: Gloucester Township Police To Participate In Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign

Press release from the Gloucester Township Police Department:

March 29, 2021

Beginning April 1, 2021 and running through the end of the month the Gloucester Township Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s “UDrive. Utext. Upay.” enforcement campaign. Officers will be assigned to conduct proactive enforcement operations utilizing marked vehicles, unmarked vehicles as well as plain clothes officers to identify motorists who engage in dangerous distracted driving behaviors such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving.

According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2019 distracted driving killed 3,142 people – a 10% increase from 2018! Additionally an estimated 400,000 people were injured. In New Jersey, driver inattention was listed as a contributing circumstance in 50 percent of the state’s crashes in 2018. Driver inattention was in fact listed as a contributing factor in crashes at a rate seven times higher than that of the next highest contributing factor (speed).

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving. Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

New Jersey is one of eight states nationally to receive dedicated federal funds this year to tackle the issue of driver distraction. This campaign is being carried out during the month of April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

For more information regarding the problems related to distracted driving please visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving

DATE/TIME OF RELEASE: 3/25/2021 5:29 PM
APPROVED BY: Captain Brendan Barton #153
RELEASE MADE BY: Lieutenant Timothy R. Kohlmyer #206

MEDIA RELEASE: Gloucester Township Police To Participate In Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign

This press release was produced by the Gloucester Township Police Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.