Skip to main content

New Jersey announces new initiative to combat distracted driving

Responding to an eight percent spike in New Jersey traffic fatalities in 2016, largely attributable to increasing distracted driving, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety are announcing a new initiative to provide state residents with a method to report dangerous drivers in order to protect motorists and pedestrians. The state’s #77 alert system, previously used for reporting aggressive driving, will now be used to report all forms of dangerous driving, from
April 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Responding to an eight percent spike in New Jersey traffic fatalities in 2016, largely attributable to increasing distracted driving, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety are announcing a new initiative to provide state residents with a method to report dangerous drivers in order to protect motorists and pedestrians.

The state’s #77 alert system, previously used for reporting aggressive driving, will now be used to report all forms of dangerous driving, from those operating a vehicle while looking at a cell phone to those driving while impaired. Enforcement measures are being stepped up on the road, and in an initiative believed to be one of the first of its kind in the nation, warning letters will be directed to those spotted driving while distracted on New Jersey roadways.

Traffic fatalities in New Jersey rose from 562 in 2015 to 604 in 2016, an average of 12 deaths a week. Division of Highway Traffic Safety officials have said the increase is in part because of distracted driving, such as cell phone use behind the wheel. In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Teens were the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes.

Related Content

  • Civil engineers find fuel savings where the rubber meets the road
    May 23, 2012
    A new study by civil engineers at MIT shows that using stiffer pavements on America’s roads could reduce vehicle fuel consumption by as much as three per cent, that could add up to 273 million barrels of crude oil per year, or US$15.6 billion at today’s oil prices. This would result in an accompanying annual decrease in CO2 emissions of 46.5 million metric tons.
  • Nissan using anthropologist to develop proPILOT autonomous vehicle
    August 17, 2016
    Nissan is using an array of technical talent to develop its next generation autonomous vehicle, including automobile and software engineers, experts on sensor technology and artificial intelligence, computer scientists, production specialists an anthropologist. Melissa Cefkin, principal scientist and design anthropologist at the Nissan Research Center in Silicon Valley is playing a key role in the project, analysing human driving interactions to ensure that it is prepared to be a ‘good citizen’ on the ro
  • MoceanLab discovers new Covid car-share use
    October 20, 2020
    The coronavirus pandemic has prompted some radical re-thinking of mobility services. Ben Spencer hears how MoceanLab car-share vehicles are delivering care to LA's homeless
  • Siemens and Streetline announce advanced parking initiative
    April 4, 2012
    Siemens Industry and Streetline have announced an advanced parking solution combining smart parking meters, sensors and applications to provide cities with flexible parking options for residents and visitors while reducing traffic congestion in downtown areas. The advanced parking solution makes it easier for motorists to locate and pay for parking by providing real-time data to motorists through a free smartphone application that guides drivers to available parking spaces. The application uses information