PD Urging Residents to 'Hang Up or Pay Up' this Month

"Hang Up or Pay Up" is the name of the campaign running in conjunction with what Public Safety Liaison and Borough Council President Jeannie Tsukamoto called cell phone enforcement month.

The Madison Police Department will be cracking down on the use of cell phones in cars during the month of August. The department will be using its bicycles, motorcycles, and patrol cars to enforce the violation. There will be a message board on Main Street, alerting residents to the campaign.

The department is hopeful that they can gain compliance even before summonses are written. They also plan on sending an alert via Nixle to give residents information on the campaign.

Lt. Darren Dachisen said Madison police have issued approximately 207 summons so far this year for illegal use of a cell phone. The fine for the violation is approximately $130.

The campaign comes on the heels of a recent study by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, which showed 25 percent of NJ drivers say they have sent text messages from behind the wheel within the past few years.

It also comes soon after a proposed state bill, which would suspend a driver's license after three cell phone violations, was introduced by Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex).

A full story on the FDU cell phone use poll can be found here.