U Drive, U Text, U Pay in Ocean City in April

Ocean City, NJ -- Ocean City Police will crack down on distracted driving starting this week.

Ocean City Police will participate in the statewide enforcement program, UDRIVE UTEXT UPAY, that runs from April 1-21. Ocean City Police Chief, Chad Callahan, announced the department will be increasing enforcement efforts through the entire month of April on Tuesday.

New research suggests that the problem is even more prevalent among teens than previously thought, police said Tuesday morning.

Teens have the highest crash rate of any group in the United States. About 963,000 drivers aged 16 to 19 were involved in police-reported crashes in 2013, the most recent year of available data. These crashes resulted in 383,000 injuries and 2,865 deaths.

Research showed that 58 percent of teens involved in nearly 1,700 moderate to severe crashes that were analyzed were distracted in some way, including 89 percent of road-departure crashes, and 76 percent of rear-end crashes.

The 58 percent figure is more than four times the 14 percent estimate previously given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, whose estimates were based on police reports, police said.

The videos showed the most common forms distraction leading to a crash in teen drivers included:

Interacting with other passengers (15 percent of crashes);

Cell phone use (12 percent);

• Looking at something inside the vehicle (10 percent);
• Looking at something outside the vehicle (9 percent);
• Singing or moving to music (8 percent);
• Grooming (6 percent);
• Reaching for an object (6 percent).

The research shows that drivers using cell phone to either make phone calls, text, or other uses, had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 out of the final six seconds leading up to a crash.

Reaction time for teens following cell phone use was also cut down significantly, police said. Those teens in the study failed to react more than half of the time before the impact, meaning they crashed without taking evasive action, like braking or steering.

The Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws allow new drivers to gain practical experience in a relatively safe environment by restricting their exposure to risky situations.

A total of 33 states prevent cell phone use for teens, and 18 states have passenger restrictions meeting AAA’s recommendations.

In all three stages of New Jersey’s GDL program, new drivers are allowed only one additional passenger unless a parent or guardian is present and are banned from using cell phones, hand-held wireless games or any hands-free interactive, wireless communication device.

“Having too many kids in the car needs to be a bigger focus when discussing distracted driving,” police said. “It’s not just the texting, but multiple kids in the car that’s a big worry. New drivers have a difficult time dealing with that distraction. Young drivers break GDL rules every day. Students under GDL guidelines drive off with full cars after school. We understand the convenience but safety supersedes the need for convenience.”

“U Drive. U Text. U Pay” is similar to the “Drive Sober Get Pulled Over” campaign that runs during major holidays to cut down on drunk drivers, and the “Click It or Ticket” to enforce the use of seatbelts.

Statistics show these programs dramatically curb the illegal habits, according to police. “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” seeks to enforce anti-texting laws with education and designed to let motorists know of the campaign and convince them to obey the law.

For more on distracted driving in New Jersey, click here.