New Jersey tickets drivers for talking or texting on handheld cell phones
The ban on texting or talking on a handheld cellphone have resulted in tickets being issued, according to Interstate 95 car crash lawyer Doug Landau. Having seen drivers pulled over and ticketed on I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike for talking on their cell phone, Landau is curious to see if this enforcement leads to a reduction in accidents caused by “distracted driving.”
According to North Jersey news reports, Jersey police have racked up 224,725 citations for violating the law in the 23 months since the law has been in effect. That’s about 4 percent of nearly 5.4 million total moving violations — not counting drunken driving offenses — in roughly the same time period, according to state judiciary statistics.
Although residents complain police aren’t enforcing the law, state Division of Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer said the numbers show otherwise. “They’re doing everything they can,” she said. “The problem is, we have far more violators than we have police.” Cranford Police Chief Eric Mason, first vice president for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, said the law, which includes a $100 fine, has been a deterrence. Since 2008, handheld cellphone use was involved in 3,610 crashes and 13 deaths, compared with 3,129 crashes and six deaths where a hands-free device was being used. The Landau Law Shop has assisted injured drivers, bikers and pedestrians who have been struck by motorists operating cell phones. If you or someone you know has been injured due to the fault of a “distracted driver,” please e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU(703-796-9555)