Lacey Police Announce April Texting And Driving Crackdown

LACEY, NJ — Officers from the Lacey Township Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey's "UDrive. UText. U Pay." law enforcement campaign.

"Beginning April 1st and running through the end of the month, the 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," Lacey police said in a statement.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2,841 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 400,000 people were injured in 2018.

In New Jersey, driver inattention was listed as a contributing circumstance in 50 percent of the state's crashes in 2018. Driver inattention was listed as a contributing factor in crashes at a rate seven times higher than speed, which is the second highest contributing factor.

New Jersey serves as one of eight states nationally to receive dedicated federal funds this year to tackle the issue of driver distraction.

The federal funding will be used for police overtime enforcement grants at the local level as well as a statewide multimedia public awareness campaign on this issue.

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