Can You Be Pulled Over in New Jersey if You Are Driving While Using Your Cell Phone?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports the dangers of distracted driving, including that more than 3,300 people died in 2022 alone from distracted driving accidents in the United States. Distracted driving is considered any activity where a driver takes their attention off of the road, their eyes off of the road, or their hands off of the wheel. Driving with full attention of all senses is necessary to keep yourself and others safe. Still, even though this is true, many people do other things while they are driving. Using one’s phone is one of the most common activities that takes a driver’s attention away from the act of driving and, as a result, puts themselves and others at risk of severe physical bodily harm from an accident.

If you were harmed in a New Jersey car accident, then you can call our South Jersey car accident attorney at Monaco Law PC. With more than 25 years of experience fighting to protect the rights of car accident victims across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Attorney Joseph Monaco is prepared and ready to help you get the full compensation you are entitled to.

What Are New Jersey’s Cell Phone and Driving Laws? 

Using a cell phone is very distracting. Whether you are having a conversation with your phone, which takes a portion of your focus off of driving, or if you are looking at your phone to send a text or email, you are taking your eyes off the road and your surroundings. Because of these realities, using your phone while driving is incredibly dangerous. Lawmakers in the Garden State understand the perils that come with driving while using a cell phone, and as a result, cell phone use by drivers in New Jersey is considered a primary offense.

What does this mean? A primary offense is a violation that warrants an officer pulling a driver over. New Jersey has implemented these strict cell phone use laws since 2007, so they have been around for a while now.

New Jersey takes distracted driving by cell phone use so seriously that they have even passed Nikki’s Law. Through this regulation, traffic signs are posted throughout the state’s roadways to remind drivers that texting and driving is unsafe and unlawful. Considering that it is possible to drive the length of a football field in just five seconds or the average time it takes to text, it is easy to see how dangerous using a phone while driving can be. This also highlights the reason why lawmakers have taken the initiative to elevate driving while using a cell phone to a primary offense.

Speak to a New Jersey and Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorney Today 

If you are seen using your cell phone as a driver in New Jersey, an officer needs only this information to pull you over. It is important to keep your hands off your phone while driving to keep yourself and everyone else around you safe.

If you were harmed by a distracted driver, then you may be entitled to compensation. For more information, please call our South Jersey personal injury lawyer at Monaco Law PC to schedule a free consultation at (609) 277-3166 for our New Jersey office and (215) 546-3166 for our office in Pennsylvania.

We are a New Jersey and Pennsylvania personal injury law firm serving Atlantic County, Bucks County,  Burlington County, Cape May County, Camden County, Chester County, Cumberland County, Delaware County, Gloucester County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia, Ocean County, Salem County, and all of South Jersey.

Source:

nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving