New Brunswick to participate in new state campaign to combat distracted driving, NBPD says

In April, the New Brunswick Police Department will be enforcing consequences on individuals who engage in dangerous behavior while driving as part of the state’s new “UDrive. UText. UPay.” campaign, according to a press release.

The initiative will run until April 21 and will focus on motor vehicle drivers who partake in distracted behaviors, such as sending text messages or talking on cellular devices.

In 2015, driver inattention contributed to 52 percent of motor vehicle accidents in New Jersey, according to the release. The next highest contributing factor, speed, contributed to crashes at a rate that was nine times lower than that of inattention.

The “UText. UDrive. UPay.” campaign is being carried out during April, which has been designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month by the National Safety Council. It will involve periods of anti-texting enforcement along with advertising and media outreach to convince individuals to obey the law, according to the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety.

Enforcement strategies include police patrols and highway overpass spotters, both of which are aimed at reducing driving distractions, like eating, drinking, reading or watching videos.

The new initiative is based on similar successful high visibility enforcement programs such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket programs, according to the release.

“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."