The Burlington County Sheriff’s Department will take part in New Jersey’s U Drive. U Text. U Pay. law enforcement initiative in April.
Burlington County Undersheriff Bryan Norcross announced this week that the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department will be joining numerous other law enforcement agencies across the state in cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s U Drive. U Text. U Pay. law enforcement initiative.
Beginning April 1 and running through April 21, 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.
“Despite the fact that using a cell phone or texting while driving is illegal in New Jersey, people still continue to do so,” Norcross said. “We hope that this distracted driving crackdown reminds everyone to put down their phones, pay attention and drive safely.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sending or reading a text takes one’s eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, it’s equal to driving the length of an entire football field with one’s your eyes closed. In 2016 alone, 3,210 people were killed in distracted driving crashes.
In a recent survey conducted by the FDU PublicMind Poll for the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 79 percent of respondents said they “very often” see people driving and talking on a hand-held cell phone, which happens despite 91 percent of respondents knowing that using a hand-held cell phone is a primary offense.
“This campaign is just another way the Sheriff’s Department is working to make our roads safer for motorists and pedestrians. Ultimately our goal is to change driving behaviors and eliminate distracted driving,” Norcross said.
The Burlington County Sheriff’s Department received a $6,600 grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety for the U Drive. U Text. U Pay. enforcement campaign.
For more information on the campaign visit, http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/dd_crackdown_overview.html.
