Gloucester Township Police To Crack Down On Distracted Driving

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Gloucester Township police will crack down on distracted driving in April as part of the “UDrive. UText. UPay.” enforcement campaign, the police department announced.

Police in marked and unmarked cars, as well as plainclothes officers will be proactively on the lookout for drivers who talk on hand-held cell phones and send text messages while driving, among other distracted driving behaviors, police said.

There was a 10 percent increase in fatal accidents related to distracted driving from 2018 to 2019, when there were 3,142 fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Another 400,000 people were injured.

Distracted driving played a role in 50 percent of the accidents in New Jersey in 2018, according to police. It was a factor in seven times more crashes than the next highest factor, which was speeding, police said.

“Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving,” police said. “Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”

New Jersey is one of eight states that received dedicated federal funds this year to tackle the issue of driver distraction, police said. This campaign is being carried out in April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

For more information about distracted driving, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving.