West Orange Police Kick Off Crackdown On 'Distracted Driving'

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange police kicked off their participation in the annual “UDrive. UText. UPay.” crackdown on distracted driving in New Jersey on Monday, April 9.

According to a West Orange township announcement, local police will join law enforcement from across the country in cracking down on distracted drivers from April 9 to 27. The 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 the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety:

“Distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic on New Jersey’s roadways, being cited as a major contributing factor in over 817,000 motor vehicle crashes in the state from 2010 to 2014. Nationwide 3,179 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2014 alone. To combat these troubling statistics, law enforcement agencies throughout New Jersey will be using a combination of traditional and innovative strategies to crack down on motorists who text and drive. This effort is a part of the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay high-visibility enforcement (HVE) campaign that combines periods of intense anti-texting enforcement coupled with advertising and media outreach to let people know about the enforcement and convince them to obey the law. U Drive. U Text. U Pay enforcement strategies include roving police patrols, spotters on highway overpasses, and stationary police vehicles prominently placed at strategic locations.”

The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety says that types of "distracted driving" can include:

• Texting
• Using a cell phone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

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