Cedar Grove Cops Plan Crackdown On Texting, 'Distracted Drivers'

CEDAR GROVE, NJ — Law enforcement officers from the Cedar Grove Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s “UDrive. UText. UPay.” enforcement campaign from Saturday, April 1 to Friday, April 21.

According to the Cedar Grove Police Department, the high-visibility 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.

“Distracted driving is a serious issue on our roadways,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2014 alone, 3,179 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 431,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.”

In a recent survey conducted by the FDU PublicMind Poll for the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 67% of respondents said they “very often” see people driving and talking on a hand-held cell phone. About 42% of respondents said the “very often” see driver’s texting, authorities stated.

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 high-visibility enforcement programs such as “Click It or Ticket” or “Drive Sober and Get Pulled Over,” authorities said.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Verona-Cedar Grove Facebook page here.

File Photo: Flickr Commons