Police In South Jersey Cracking Down On People Texting And Driving
By Cleve Bryan
EGG HARBOR Twp., NJ (CBS) – Officers in the Egg Harbor Township Police Department were on the lookout Wednesday to catch people talking and texting behind the wheel.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and many police departments are taking part in the U Drive, U Text, U Pay enforcement campaign.
"Everybody has an emergency, at least in their own mind and they need to use the phone, and most of the time it's not," says Sgt. Cherie Burgan, supervisor of the EHTPD traffic unit.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates about 3,000 people are killed and another 400,000 are injured each year in the United States because of distracted driving.
In New Jersey the first offense ticket for texting or talking without a hands-free device starts at $200.