$7K Grant Adds More Parsippany PD Patrols To Combat Distracted Drivers

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Police in Parsippany and across the Garden State have begun their annual crackdown on distracted driving, and officials said that grant money from the state will get more officers on the roads to enforce traffic laws.

The “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”campaign runs between April 1 and April 30, and police will be on the lookout for drivers who are texting or otherwise distracted behind the wheel. In 2022, officials said almost 50 percent of drivers involved in crashes in the state were engaged in some kind of "distracted behavior." These crashes resulted in 180 deaths and more than 1,500 serious injuries, data shows.

For this year's effort, Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department was one of 182 departments in New Jersey to get a share of $1.2 million in funding from the Attorney General's Office and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety to combat distracted drivers. Parsippany Police will receive a $7,000 grant, AG Matthew Platkin said on Wednesday.

The money will help pay for saturation patrols during the month-long campaign as police target drivers who are on their phones or otherwise distracted.

In 2023, the distracted driving campaign yielded 7,130 citations for cell phone use or texting and about 4,000 for careless driving, officials said.

The other agencies in Morris County receiving grants are:

• Butler: $7,000
• Dover: $7,000
• Hanover: $7,000
• Jefferson: $7,000
• Mount Olive: $8,750
• Randolph: $8,750

Using a handheld electronic device while driving in New Jersey could result in fines ranging from $200 to $400 for a first offense and up to $800 for subsequent violations, along with the addition of three insurance points.