Distracted driving is the No. 1 contributing factor in car accidents, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s office.
In the last decade, driver inattention was a major factor in 1.4 million crashes in New Jersey, which represents about half of the total crashes in the state during that period, according to a recent article in the Insurance Journal. More than 1,600 of those crashes resulted in death.
Distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver’s attention away from the task of safely operating a car. These activities needlessly endanger others on the road, including passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. Typical distractions include texting, talking on a mobile phone, using a GPS, adjusting the radio, talking to a passenger, and eating or drinking.
Some of the biggest distractions tempting drivers today are smartphone apps and texting. According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), driver performance is affected negatively by cellphone use. Approximately 660,000 drivers are using cellphones or other electronic devices while driving at any given moment in the United States.
New Jersey became the first state to limit young drivers’ use of any kind of cellphone device in 2002. Since that time, 13 states have banned handheld cellphone use by drivers, and 36 states have limited young drivers’ use of all cellphones behind the wheel.
Evidence Difficult to Find in Distracted Driving Cases
Whether these laws are working is another matter.
A 2009 survey by the IIHS revealed 45 percent of young drivers (ages 18-24) reported that they texted while they drove in states that ban the practice. Forty percent of drivers between the ages of 25 and 29 reported doing the same.
In New Jersey, some officials say it is hard to prosecute a distracted driver criminally due to difficulty in obtaining the evidence needed for a prosecutor to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, a sponsor of distracted driving legislation in New Jersey, recently told USA Today that while the law is intended to help prosecutors, it has not been effectively used since its signing.
Moriarty said prosecutors are not leveling charges against distracted drivers because the cases are difficult to build.
One of those prosecutors, Nicholas Schock of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, told USA Today that the cellphone ban is a crucial law.
“The law itself is fantastic and very much needed. Distracted driving is becoming more prevalent than drunken driving. It’s a widespread problem, “Schock said.
In 2012, an estimated 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, which was a 9 percent increase from the estimated number of people injured in 2011, according to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration.
Further statistics show that engaging in distracted driving activities – such as dialing a number, texting or reaching for a phone – triple the risk of getting into a crash.