West Orange Police Will Crack Down On Distracted Driving

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Law enforcement officers from 184 New Jersey towns – including West Orange – will be cracking down on distracted driving during this year’s statewide "UDrive. UText. UPay." enforcement campaign.

The campaign will begin April 1 and run through April 21. It will target motorists who engage in risky behavior such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving.

• See related article: Cop Crackdown In These 184 NJ Towns (Here's Where)

As part of the campaign, several Essex County towns received funding to carry out local enforcement operations, including:

• Belleville PD $5,500
• Bloomfield PD $5,500
• Fairfield PD $5,500
• Maplewood PD $5,500
• Millburn PD $5,500
• Montclair PD $5,500
• Nutley PD $5,500
• West Orange PD $5,500

"Distracted driving is possibly the most serious safety issue on our roadways today," said Eric Heitmann, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that, in 2018 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.

This article contains reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff

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