Cedar Grove Police Will Crack Down On Distracted Drivers In April

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.”

According to the Cedar Grove Police Department, beginning Sunday, April 1 and running through Saturday, April 21, a “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 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 of nine times higher than that of the next highest contributing factor (speed), the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety 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 successful high-visibility enforcement programs such as “Click It or Ticket” or “Drive Sober and Get Pulled Over,” authorities said.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Verona-Cedar Grove Facebook page.

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock