Community Corner
NJ Spotlight's Interactive Map: Cellphone-Related Accidents
Essex County ranks the highest for crashes despite tough cellphone law.
If accident data is any indication, New Jersey’s tougher cellphone law does not appear to be having much effect. (See NJ Spotlight's latest interactive map here).
The state passed its first ban on using a handheld cellphone while driving in 2004, but at the time it was a secondary violation, meaning drivers could only be ticketed if they were pulled over for another motor vehicle violation.
With nearly 3,600 crashes linked to cellphones in 2006, lawmakers made New Jersey the fourth state in the nation in which the use of a handheld cell phone is a primary violation. That law took effect March 1, 2008.
Find out what's happening in Caldwellswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
But it has not resulted in much of a reduction in the number of traffic accidents in which cellphone usage was a factor, according to data from the state Department of Transportation.
In 2007, the last full year in which using a handheld cellphone was a secondary offense, there were 3,287 total accidents statewide attributed to the device—whether handheld or hands-free. In those accidents, 1,236 people were injured and four died.
Find out what's happening in Caldwellswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The number of accidents dropped to 3,204 in 2008, but rose again in 2009 to 3,557.
In 2010, the most recent year for which statistics are available, cellphones contributed to 3,351 accidents in which 1,501 people were hurt and three died. The statistics also show that while fewer accidents are attributed to hands-free phones than to handheld devices, they still pose a distraction to drivers.
Between 2006 and 2010, hands-free phone usage contributed to 7,798 accidents statewide, while handheld devices were considered a factor in 9,181 accidents.
Use the NJ Spotlight map (here) and click on a county to see its accident statistics, including 2010 data, the change since 2006, and five-year totals for accidents, injuries, and deaths attributable to the use of handheld and hands-free devices.
Handheld Cell Phone Accident Data for Essex County
2010
Crashes: 257
Change From 2006: 31.1%
Injuries: 159
Fatalities: 0
2006-2010 Totals
Crashes: 1,054
Injuries: 516
Fatalities: 0
Hands Free Cell Phone Usage
2010
Crashes: 343
Injuries: 159
Fatalities: 0
Change From 2006: 13.6%
2006-2010 Totals
Crashes: 1,698
Injuries: 993
Fatalities: 2
NJ Spotlight is an online news service providing insight and information on issues critical to New Jersey.
