Moorestown Police Support Crackdown On Distracted Driving

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown police support the statewide crack down on distracted driving in April as part of the "UDrive. UText. UPay." enforcement campaign, the police department announced.

“NHTSA’s U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign reminds drivers of the deadly dangers and the legal consequences – including fines – of texting behind the wheel,” Moorestown police said in a post on social media. “Forty-eight states, as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, have passed laws making it illegal to text while driving. In April, you may notice an increase in police enforcing texting laws and reminding drivers of the dangers.”

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, according to the NHTA.

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.

Moorestown was not one of the police departments that received a grant, but local police still support the effort and provided these tips for safe driving:

• If you must send or receive a text, pull over to a safe location and park your car first;
• If you have passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to handle all of your texting; and
• If you can’t resist the temptation to look at your phone, keep it in the trunk.

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