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NJ’s Distracted Driving Crackdown Begins: Here’s Where

Throughout April 2025, law enforcement agencies in multiple states, including New Jersey, Minnesota, and California, are increasing patrols and issuing citations to combat distracted driving during Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Distracted driving is a persistent problem, with nearly half of drivers involved in crashes in New Jersey in 2023 exhibiting distracted behavior, and preliminary data from 2024 indicating that distracted driving contributed to at least 29 deaths in Minnesota.
Enforcement efforts include increased patrols in marked and unmarked vehicles, including specialized SUVs and pickup trucks with cameras, and the use of Acusensus Heads-Up Camera Enforcement Systems, with officers observing drivers texting, interacting with TikTok, or attending virtual meetings while driving.
In Minnesota, 48,278 tickets for distracted driving were issued in 2024, and so far this year, 5,461 citations or warnings have been issued, while in February alone, 300 warnings or citations were issued by the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department; New Jersey's last crackdown resulted in 9,055 citations for cell phone use and almost 4,800 for careless driving.
To combat distracted driving, the Attorney General's Office and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in New Jersey are providing over $1 million in grants ranging from $1,400 to $12,250 to 158 law enforcement agencies for extra patrols, alongside a public awareness campaign called Put the Phone Away or Pay, with penalties for violations including fines from $200-$400 for a first offense, potentially increasing to $800 with insurance points for subsequent offenses.

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The Trentonian

Center

State launches distracted driving campaign

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety (HTS) announced a high visibility enforcement campaign against distracted driving running from April 1 through April 30. The “Put the Phone Away or Pay” initiative provides funding for law enforcement agencies to enforce laws prohibiting texting and other forms of distracted driving. HTS has also launched a public awareness campaign about the dangers of distracted dri…

2 days ago

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KSBW

Center

California Highway Patrol will launch maximum enforcement period at the start of April

More officers are going to be along California's highways on Tuesday as they look out for distracted driving violations.

2 days ago

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New Jersey Hills

Center

Statewide Distracted Driving Enforcement and Awareness Campaign comes to Mount Olive

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. - The Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay. enforcement campaign.

2 days ago

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Patch

Center

NJ’s Distracted Driving Crackdown Begins: Here’s Where

NJ's Distracted Driving Crackdown Begins: Here's Where - Across New Jersey, NJ - A total of $1 million will be distributed to pay for extra patrols during the month-long "Put the Phone Away or Pay" enforcement campaign.

2 days ago·United States

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Fremont Tribune

Center

Fremont Police Department receives distracted driving special enforcement grant

The Fremont Police Department is participating in the “Put the Phone Away or Pay” grant in collaboration with the NDOT Highway Safety Office.

2 days ago

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West Central Tribune

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April campaign to focus on extra enforcement against distracted driving in Minnesota

ST. PAUL — Law enforcement officers in Minnesota will be out on patrol this month in specialized sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks that provide a better vantage point to observe any possible dangerous driving habits. Preliminary data from 2024 showed that distracted driving contributed to at least 29 deaths, according to Shannon Grabow, state program administrator with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety. …

3 days ago

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