Lakewood, Jackson, and Howell are among the municipalities receiving state funding as part of New Jersey’s latest effort to combat distracted driving. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety (HTS) announced the launch of the “Put the Phone Away or Pay” campaign, a month-long initiative aimed at reducing distracted driving through heightened enforcement and public awareness.
Running from April 1 through April 30, the initiative provides grants to law enforcement agencies across the state to enforce laws prohibiting texting and other forms of distracted driving. Lakewood and Jackson police departments are among 158 agencies in 19 counties benefiting from over $1 million in state funding for saturation patrols targeting distracted drivers. Additionally, the New Jersey State Police have been awarded $211,820 to enforce distracted driving laws on major highways, including the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, and other roadways under their jurisdiction.
Preliminary data from 2023 underscores the urgency of this initiative, revealing that 48 percent of drivers involved in crashes in New Jersey were engaged in distracted behavior. These incidents resulted in 160 fatalities and over 1,400 serious injuries.
“Combining public awareness campaigns like this with increased enforcement efforts against distracted driving helps ensure that drivers keep their attention on the road and off their phones,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Staying focused behind the wheel from the moment you step into your car is crucial in preventing a possible tragedy. Working together, we can help make roadways across New Jersey safer.”
Michael J. Rizol, Jr., Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, emphasized the importance of driver attentiveness. “Every second behind the wheel demands a driver’s full attention. During National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, HTS remains unwavering in its dedication to educating drivers about the consequences of distracted driving and is fully committed to equipping our law enforcement partners with the essential resources to swiftly address and remove distracted drivers from our roads.”
New Jersey law prohibits the use of handheld electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. Violators face fines ranging from $200 to $400 for a first offense, escalating to as much as $800 for repeat violations, along with three insurance points.
Last year, a similar distracted driving crackdown resulted in 9,055 citations for cell phone use or texting and nearly 4,800 for careless driving. Officials hope that this year’s campaign will further reduce the number of distracted driving incidents and improve road safety throughout the state.
BUCKLE UP BUTTERCUPS!!! Can we have just 1 day in Jackson, without the ridiculous number of police and fire sirens. One can only hope the chronic offenders are issued their long-overdue summons’! Thank you to our exhausted first responders.
Tell that to the Toms River Cop that was on His Phone.
And driving and when I recognized it I got mad that the Police get by by breaking this law and my ex neighbor working for the Lakewood dispatch always on her phone as she drives…no one policies the people who have a sort of card to get away with it..saying it’s a work phone or whatever…I got a ticket for this years back and it made me realize the distraction but there are others in the last five years or so that continue to break this law…and never get caught or fined especially citizens on patrol ….i ended up getting into the accident driving safe not doing this and the cop off duty drove away still doing it like it was his privilege and his exception to the law ..this is just going to continue to separate the haves and get away withs from have nots and can’t get away with it …
It’s very Ironic in an Alanis Morrisette type of way that the very people commiting this crime is the citizens on patrol..but because they drive work and off work that they are above the laws which they often are financially speaking they never get policed or fined on the average type of ticket when they do the same thing..and their family members too.. always having the get out of ticket cards that they have through the fraternal and unions they are paying into and apart of…Police is a million and Billion dollar American Business with NFL type contracts…and this kind of funding continues them to go after the 80 percent of the poorer general public and secured the 20 percent of the Blue Line that will never get a ticket like this in their life and they are equally guilty of breaking it ..With 1000 dollar smart phones and GPS and new 2025 SUVs ..not to mention the police budgets always passing bar none…these funding bills simply sort of target the average Jeff that Cop Joey knows will never have to answer for..