Lt. Governor talks distracted driving in Randolph

RANDOLPH – Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said it's no coincidence that a quarter of all accidents involve drivers using a cell phone.

"Why does that happen? Because we are distracted behind the wheel. Because texting takes your eyes off the road," Guadagno said. "If you take your eyes off the road for five seconds and you're going 55 miles per hour, that's like going the length of a football field with a blindfold on…. No wonder so many lives have been lost."

Guadagno was in Randolph to announce the launch of JustDrive.com, a multi-media outreach and education campaign designed to combat the high incidences of texting and talking while driving. An extensive advertising campaign will coincide with the website's launch in the coming months, highlighting the dangers and penalties for distracted driving.

The Just Drive campaign is a result of a law passed in July 2014 that increased distracted driving fines.

First offense distracted driving fines will double from $100 to $200, and half of the money the state collects from those fines will go toward raising awareness for the Just Drive campaign, a move Guadagno called "poetic."

"It will help to spread the message," Guadagno said. "To alert and empower and save lives."

Second offenses will carry a minimum $400 fine, and third offenses a minimum $600 fine plus a potential 90-day suspension of driver's license and three motor vehicle penalty points. Prior to this new tiered approach, fines were a flat $100 every time.

Guadagno was joined Wednesday by Randolph and State Police, 25th District Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, Morris County Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, Chairman of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Raymond Martinez, and Regional Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Thomas Louizou.

"There is absolutely no doubt that the number of drivers who talk or text from behind the wheel has reached epidemic proportions in this country," Louizou said. "It's time to say enough is enough."

All spoke in front of a damaged white Ford F250 truck which was involved in a fatal texting while driving accident in 2013.

Prior to speaking, Guadagno walked up to the truck, which was being held in place by wooden blocks, and stared through the broken window, examining the glass still on the seat.

The family of the victim, Carlos Carvalho, 58, of Edison, was supposed to speak at the event but at the last minute couldn't bring themselves to attend. Guadagno thanked the Carvalho family for letting their story be told in pictures, referencing the truck.

The National Safety Council reports that texting causes 1.6 million accidents per year, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 78 percent of teens and young adults say they have read a text message while driving.

"Given these startling statistics, continuing to talk or text while driving is just plain irresponsible behavior," Martinez said. "Keep both hands on the wheel, eyes and mind on the road, and just drive."

Just Drive is geared toward drivers young and old, and 25th District Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco said he believes kids are gradually learning not to text and drive.

"They're getting it more. If I'm in the car and I pick up the phone, my kids go ballistic," Bucco said. "This program will drive the point home further for kids and adults."

The AAA study said in the past 30 days, two of every three drivers reported talking on their cell phone and one of every three reported doing so often. One in three also admitted to reading a text message or email while driving.

The survey said drivers are aware of the potential dangers, but do little to alter their behavior.

"Texting while driving is illegal and dangerous, causing tragic loss of life in just moments of careless distraction," Guadagno said. "The JustDrive.com campaign will further spread the message of the dangers of texting while driving and, no doubt, will save lives."

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety 2014 report is available online at www.aaafoundation.org.

Go to www.justdrive.com to learn more about the campaign and to share person experiences and opinions on distracted driving.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@dailyrecord.com

Editor's note: The Lt. Governor's Office contacted the Daily Record after this story ran to clarify a mistake made in the Lt. Governor's speech Wednesday, which referenced an incorrect number of fatalities in a 2013 distracted driving accident. The quote has been removed from this story and the Daily Record will clarify this in Friday's print edition.