Barnegat Police Looking For Distracted Drivers

BARNEGAT, NJ - You know it's wrong. So put down your handheld cell phone and stop blabbing and texting while you're driving. You may save a life, even your own.

Barnegat police officers will be looking for you, during the state's UDrive. UText. UPay. campaign, which starts on Sunday, April 1 and runs through April 21, according to the department's Facebook page.

The high-visibility law enforcement initiative targets 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 Gary Poedubicky, Acting 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 factor in 52 percent of the state’s crashes in 2015. Driver inattention was also a contributing factor in crashes at a rate nine times higher than that of excessive speed.

The National Safety Council has designated April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The New Jersey campaign is modeled after similar successful high-visibility enforcement programs like "Click It or Ticket" and "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over."

Logo: Courtesy of Barnegat Township Police Department