Police Warn Drivers to Put Cell Phones Down

Watchung Police are joining other Somerset County departments in helping remind drivers to put down cell phones while driving this month with added enforcement under a program called "Put It Down 2013."

Watchung Chief of Police Timothy Wenzel told members of the Borough Council last week the department will be participating in the effort with checkpoints at various times and locations. 

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month across the country, and Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano and the Somerset County Traffic Safety Alliance are making the program aimed at preventing drivers from being distracted by calls or texts a priority, the prosecutor's office said.

In announcing the program, the prosecutor's office noted there were 11,674 motor vehicle crashes reported to police in Somerset County in 2012—44 percent of those crashes were caused by driver inattention. Drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash if driving while texting and four times more likely if talking on a hand-held device, the prosecutor's office said.

The Put It Down initiative focuses on drivers who choose to violate New Jersey’s wireless telephone and electronic communication device statute, which currently includes fines of $100 to $250 but legislation introduced by Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz making its way through the legislature would raise that to a maximum of $600.

The prosecutor's office said last year's Put It Down program sought to educating the public on the dangers of distracted driving with speaking events, press releases, a pledge program for high schools students and county residents, and focused enforcement by patrol officers throughout the county. The officers issued warnings which gave the violators an opportunity to view a video documentary on distracted driving so as to avoid the issuance of a summons and complaint—this year, violators will be issued summonses and complaints.  

Drivers are urged to put their phones away immediately upon getting behind the wheel of their vehicles. If a call must be made or a text received, pull off the road, park and use the smart phone wisely. Following this advice will cause a slight delay in communication and travel, but it could very well save your life or the life of someone else. Make every effort to refrain from calling or texting someone that you know is driving.

Equally as important to responsible cell phone use is responsible driving in general; for instance, drivers should always refrain from careless behavior such as eating, drinking, reading and grooming while driving. While many of these undertakings might seem relatively innocent, the fact is that they all cause attention to be diverted away from the road--where it should be.

The Put It Down distracted driving prevention initiative was launched in November, 2011, by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, the Somerset County Association of Chiefs of Police, the Somerset Medical Center, and Somerset Emergency Medical Associates. The newly formed Somerset County Traffic Safety Alliance is the program’s newest partner.