South Brunswick Police Crack Down on Distracted Driving Starting April 1

South Brunswick, NJ - South Brunswick Police will be taking part in a statewide effort to crackdown on distracted driving starting April 1, the department announced Wednesday.

There will be an increased number of officers on patrol focused on drivers who are talking on a hand-held cell phone, sending text messages, or operating their vehicle without due caution.

“Last year there were over 2,500 crashes in South Brunswick and the vast majority was caused by driver inattention. This effort is meant to create greater awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and enhanced enforcement,” said Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.

Some recent examples of distracted driving crashes with injuries in South Brunswick:

March 29, 2016 7:45 p.m. - Route 1 at Major Road - 50 year old male looked down at radio and struck car in front of him

March 19, 2016 2:50 p.m. - Finnegans Lane – 37 year old female didn’t realize traffic was stopped and struck two vehicles stopped in front of her

March 15, 2016 8:25 a.m. – Route 522 at New Road - 25 year old female looking at directions went through a red light and struck three cars

March 4, 2016 5:10 p.m. – Ridge Road – 19 year old male did not realize a vehicle was stopped waiting to make a turn and rear ended the vehicle

February 25, 2016 6:25 a.m. – Route 130 – 30 year old male was distracted and struck nine vehicles stopped in front of him

February 2, 2016 4 p.m. – Route 1 – 35 year old female believes she fell asleep while driving and struck the vehicle in front of her

January 19, 2016 2:40 p.m. – Route 1 - 54 year old female looked down for her sunglasses and rear ended the vehicle in front of her

"These recent cases highlight the dangers of simply taking your eyes off the road. Our efforts to increase awareness and enforcement will result in fewer injuries," Chief Hayducka said.