Big Texting-While-Driving Crackdown In These 201 NJ Towns

Now they mean it: Put that cell phone away before you get behind the wheel, and don't even think about texting – especially if you're driving in 201 New Jersey towns.

Law enforcement officers from throughout New Jersey will be cracking down on distracted drivers very soon as part of New Jersey’s 'UDrive. UText. UPay." campaign. A list of 201 towns received money to participate in the program (see list below).

Beginning April 1 and running through April 21, the law enforcement initiative will target motorists who engage in dangerous distracted-driving behaviors, such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving, according to New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

A number of sheriff's departments at the county levels, such as Burlington, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Somerset counties, also received funding, as did the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the Morris County Park Police Department.

“Distracted driving is possibly the most serious safety issue on our roadways today,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 391,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.”

In New Jersey, driver inattention was listed as a contributing circumstance in 52 percent of the state’s crashes in 2015. Driver inattention was, in fact, listed as a contributing factor in crashes at a rate nine times higher than that of the next highest contributing factor, which was speeding, state officials said.

The campaign is being carried out during the month of April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The New Jersey campaign is modeled after similar successful high visibility enforcement programs such as "Click It or Ticket" and "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over."

Here are the towns and their police departments that received funding:

Atlantic County

• Absecon PD $6,600.00
• Egg Harbor Twp PD $6,600.00
• Galloway PD $6,600.00
• Hamilton PD $6,600.00
• Hammonton PD $6,600.00
• Mullica PD $6,600.00
• Northfield PD $6,600.00
• Pleasantville PD $6,600.00

Bergen County

• Bergenfield PD $6,600.00
• Bogota PD $6,600.00
• Cliffside Park PD $6,600.00
• Closter PD $6,600.00
• Dumont PD $6,600.00
• Elmwood Park PD $6,600.00
• Fairview PD $6,600.00
• Franklin Lakes PD $6,600.00
• Garfield PD $6,600.00
• Glen Rock PD $6,600.00
• Lodi PD $6,600.00
• Lyndhurst PD $6,600.00
• Montvale PD $6,600.00
• New Milford PD $6,600.00
• Oradell PD $6,600.00
• Paramus PD $6,600.00
• Ridgefield Park PD $6,600.00
• Ridgewood PD $6,600.00
• Saddle Brook PD $6,600.00
• South Hackensack PD $6,600.00
• Teaneck PD $6,600.00
• Upper Saddle River PD $6,600.00
• Woodcliff Lake PD $6,600.00

Burlington County

• Bordentown PD $6,600.00
• Bordentown Twp PD $6,600.00
• Burlington Twp PD $6,600.00
• Delanco PD $6,600.00
• Delran PD $6,600.00
• Evesham PD $6,600.00
• Lumberton PD $6,600.00
• Mount Holly PD $6,600.00
• Mount Laurel PD $6,600.00
• Palmyra PD $6,600.00
• Westampton PD $6,600.00
• Barrington PD $6,600.00

Camden County

• Bellmawr PD $6,600.00
• Berlin Twp PD $6,600.00
• Brooklawn PD $6,600.00
• Cherry Hill PD $6,600.00
• Gloucester PD $6,600.00
• Gloucester Twp PD $6,600.00
• Haddon Heights PD $6,600.00
• Pennsauken PD $6,600.00
• Pine Hill PD $6,600.00
• Stratford PD $6,600.00
• Waterford PD $6,600.00
• Winslow PD $6,600.00

Cape May County

• Lower PD $6,600.00
• North Wildwood PD $6,600.00
• Wildwood PD $6,600.00

Essex County

• Belleville PD $6,600.00
• Bloomfield PD $6,600.00
• Cedar Grove PD $6,600.00
• Fairfield PD $6,600.00
• Irvington PD $6,600.00
• Livingston PD $6,600.00
• Millburn PD $6,600.00
• Montclair PD $6,600.00
• Nutley PD $6,600.00
• West Orange PD $6,600.00

Gloucester County

• Clayton PD $2,200.00
• Deptford PD $5,500.00
• East Greenwich PD $2,200.00
• Elk PD $1,760.00
• Franklin PD $3,960.00
• Glassboro PD $4,400.00
• Greenwich PD $2,200.00
• Harrison PD $2,200.00
• Logan PD $2,200.00
• Mantua PD $4,840.00
• Monroe PD $4,840.00
• Washington PD $5,500.00
• West Deptford PD $4,400.00
• Westville PD $2,860.00
• Woodbury Heights PD $4,180.00
• Woodbury PD $5,500.00
• Woolwich PD $3,300.00

Hudson County

• Jersey City PD $6,600.00
• North Bergen Twp PD $6,600.00
• Secaucus PD $6,600.00
• Union City PD $6,600.00
• West New York PD $6,600.00

Hunterdon County

• Clinton PD $5,500.00
• Clinton Twp PD $6,600.00
• Flemington PD $4,950.00
• Franklin PD $5,500.00
• Frenchtown PD $5,500.00
• High Bridge PD $5,500.00
• Readington PD $4,950.00
• West Amwell PD $4,400.00

Mercer County

• East Windsor PD $6,600.00
• Ewing PD $6,600.00
• Hamilton PD $6,600.00
• Hightstown PD $6,600.00

Middlesex County

• Carteret PD $6,600.00
• Dunellen PD $6,600.00
• Edison PD $6,600.00
• Middlesex PD $6,600.00
• Monroe PD $6,600.00
• New Brunswick PD $6,600.00
• North Brunswick PD $6,600.00
• Old Bridge PD $6,600.00
• Piscataway PD $6,600.00
• Plainsboro PD $6,600.00
• South Brunswick PD $6,600.00
• Spotswood PD $6,600.00
• Woodbridge PD $6,600.00

Monmouth County

• Allentown PD $6,600.00
• Atlantic Highlands PD $6,600.00
• Deal PD $6,600.00
• Eatontown PD $6,600.00
• Englishtown PD $6,600.00
• Freehold PD $6,600.00
• Freehold Twp PD $6,600.00
• Highlands PD $6,600.00
• Holmdel PD $6,600.00
• Keansburg PD $6,600.00
• Keyport PD $6,600.00
• Marlboro PD $6,600.00
• Middletown PD $6,600.00
• Neptune PD $6,600.00
• Ocean PD $6,600.00
• Sea Bright PD $6,600.00
• Sea Girt PD $6,600.00
• Spring Lake Heights PD $6,600.00
• Union Beach PD $6,600.00

Morris County

• Boonton PD $6,600.00
• Chester Twp PD $6,600.00
• Florham Park PD $6,600.00
• Hanover PD $6,600.00
• Jefferson PD $6,600.00
• Mendham Twp PD $6,600.00
• Montville PD $6,600.00
• Mount Arlington PD $6,600.00
• Mount Olive PD $6,600.00
• Parsippany-Troy Hills PD $6,600.00
• Randolph PD $6,600.00
• Wharton PD $6,600.00

Ocean County

• Barnegat PD $6,600.00
• Bay Head PD $6,600.00
• Berkeley PD $6,600.00
• Harvey Cedars PD $6,600.00
• Jackson PD $6,600.00
• Long Beach PD $6,600.00
• Manchester PD $6,600.00
• Mantoloking PD $6,600.00
• Ocean Gate PD $6,600.00
• Point Pleasant Beach PD $6,600.00
• Point Pleasant Boro PD $6,600.00
• Seaside Heights PD $6,600.00
• Ship Bottom PD $6,600.00
• Stafford PD $6,600.00

Passaic County

• Bloomingdale PD $6,600.00
• Hawthorne PD $6,600.00
• Passaic PD $6,600.00
• Wayne PD $6,600.00

Salem County

• Carneys Point PD $6,600.00
• Pennsville PD $6,600.00

Somerset County

• Bedminster PD $5,500.00
• Bernards PD $5,500.00
• Bernardsville PD $5,500.00
• Bound Brook PD $5,500.00
• Branchburg PD $5,500.00
• Bridgewater PD $2,750.00
• Far Hills PD $5,500.00
• Franklin PD $6,820.00
• Green Brook PD $4,400.00
• Hillsborough PD $5,500.00
• Manville PD $3,300.00
• Montgomery PD $5,500.00
• North Plainfield PD $5,500.00
• Peapack Gladstone PD $5,500.00
• Raritan PD $5,500.00
• Somerville PD $5,500.00
• South Bound Brook PD $4,840.00
• Warren PD $5,500.00
• Watchung PD $5,500.00

Sussex County

• Andover PD $6,600.00
• Franklin PD $6,600.00
• Hamburg PD $6,600.00
• Hopatcong PD $6,600.00
• Vernon PD $6,600.00

Union County

• Clark PD $6,600.00
• Cranford PD $6,600.00
• Elizabeth PD $6,600.00
• Hillside PD $6,600.00
• Linden PD $6,600.00
• Union Mountainside PD $6,600.00
• Rahway PD $6,600.00
• Roselle Park PD $6,600.00
• Roselle PD $6,600.00
• Union PD $6,600.00

Warren County

• Mansfield PD $6,600.00

South Brunswick police photo