Wisniewski said he has seen people try to multitask while driving, even reading newspapers behind the wheel, according to News 12 New Jersey.
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The sponsor of a bill targeting distracted driving says his measure doesn’t specifically cite coffee, despite recent news reports focusing on the beverage.
“The issue is that we need to try, in every way, to discourage distracted driving, it’s risky”, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat in Central Jersey, who sponsored the bill, told The Star-Ledger.
New Jersey now only prohibits the use of hand-held cellphones while driving, though police retain the authority to write summonses for reckless and careless driving that may be linked to other activities.
The bill under consideration in Trenton is an outgrowth of the state’s Task Force on Distracted Driving, which arose partly in response to an estimate that almost half of New Jersey’s three million or so vehicle accidents between 2004-2013 were attributable to driver inattention.
However, the new bill, which is modeled after a law in ME, is to discourage drivers from multitasking and is meant to educate, not punish, according to sponsors Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D- Middlesex and Nicholas Chiaravalloti, D-Hudson.
He introduced the measure seven months ago and has yet to bring it up for a vote in a committee he leads.
Wisniewski said he was surprised by the reaction to the legislation.
Those in support say the bill is more to change drivers’ mindsets about multitasking, rather than punish people for every little thing they do behind the wheel-the same way some people instinctively buckle their seatbelt before pulling out of the driveway.
“It was the “ham sandwich bill” last time”, he said.
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Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand. AP material published by LongIsland.com, is done so with explicit permission. This includes the preparation of derivative works of, or the incorporation of such content into other works. “A third or subsequent violation may also result in a driver’s license suspension of up to 90 days and a motor vehicle points penalty at the court’s discretion”.
