New Jersey Cops Issue 120K Cell Phone Tickets

Police in New Jersey issued approximately 120,000 tickets during the year since the state banned motorists from texting or using hand-held cell phones.

A two-week “Hang Up, Just Drive” initiative that targeted motorists in 18 towns resulted in 4,075 summonses last month.

Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer says the percentage of motorists who weren’t using hands-free devices decreased from 12 to 6 percent. The number of motorists texting in those towns decreased from 2 to 1 percent.

Fischer says 1,866 motor vehicle crashes were caused by drivers using hand-held cell phones in 2007 and 1,421 were caused using hands-free devices.

Topics New Jersey