Officials Encourage NJ Motorists To Stop Using Cell Phones While Driving (AUDIO)
Listen to Dave Polaski's report
The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety has a message for those who use their cell phones while behind the wheel: "Hang up and just drive!"
In the 23 months since New Jersey enacted a ban on texting and talking with a hand-held cell phone while driving, motorists have been issued 224,725 citations. That comes out to an average of 9,770 per-month! Division director Pam Fischer says texting or talking while driving poses an enormous danger. "You are distracted. You are not focused on the task of driving that car, and you\'re putting -- not only yourself and your passengers -- at risk, but everybody else on the road as well."
Fischer says the numbers are revealing, and the consequences can be much more severe than fines. "Over the past two years, we have had 3,610 crashes involving a motorist using a hand-held cell phone. In those crashes, 1,548 people were injured and 13 people died." Fischer points out that using a hands-free device can pose a risk as well. "During the same time period, there have been 3,129 accidents involving the use of a hands-free cell phone, resulting in 1,495 injuries and six deaths."
She admits, there could be even more cell phone-related accidents than we\'re led to believe. "We know that there are lots of other crashes occurring, and the individuals involved may not necessarily be reporting that they were using a cell phone at the same time."
Driving without using a cell phone has to become a social norm, according to Fischer. "We\'ve made tremendous strides in seat belt use, we\'ve made tremendous strides in getting folks to know that drinking and driving is dangerous. This is the same concept. Often, folks say, \'Oh, I can do that. I can talk on the cell phone or send a quick text message while driving and still be safe.\' What we want them to understand is, \'No, you can\'t\'!"
According to the National Safety Council, at least 1.4-million crashes occur nationwide annually, due to drivers talking on their cell phones, while 200,000 accidents are the result of texting while behind the wheel. Fischer says the message is simple: "Put those cell phones down, put down those PDA\'s, put down the BlackBerry, and drive."
Copyright 2010 by Millennium Radio New Jersey. All Rights Reserved.
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