East Brunswick Police Increase Distracted Driving Patrols

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Beginning April 1 and running through April 21, East Brunswick police will be cracking down on distracted drivers as part of New Jersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay. enforcement campaign.

The campaign is being carried out during the month of April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. And did you know? Studies show distracted driving caused crashes at a rate nine times higher than that of the next highest contributing factor (speed).

This 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 possibly the most serious safety issue on our roadways today,” said Eric Heitmann, 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.