Gloucester Township Police Cracking Down On Distracted Drivers With Heavy Focus On Black Horse Pike
GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- Cracking down on dangerous driving -- that's what Gloucester Township police are doing after they say the number of people speeding and driving distracted is leading to more crashes.
Since April 1, more than 900 drivers have been pulled over. Police say there have been many instances where just a few seconds of looking at the phone or shaving commute time have been leading to long-term consequences.
Along Black Horse Pike, red and blue are what stand out, a welcome sight for Rita Marazzo, a school bus driver and grandmother.
"It's very disheartening when you see people, because I can see them really good because I'm high, texting and driving and they have no regard for the school buses," Marazzo said.
Gloucester Township police received a federal grant to crack down on drivers speeding, texting and running stop signs after experiencing a recent rise in crashes resulting in people getting seriously injured.
Lt. Melissa Capanna says the grant allows them to assign more officers to catch distracted drivers.
"If you're distracted and you're driving, it's leading to collisions," Capanna said.
The township has had three deadly crashes in the last three years.
Black Horse Pike, stretching from the outlets to Glendora, is one of the roads they're heavily patrolling. By the end of the week, they'll have pulled over almost 1,000 drivers.
"Just be aware of your surroundings. Slow down," Capanna said. "Stay off your cellphones and just be attentive to what's going on around you."
Marazzo says her 19-year-old grandson follows those good behaviors, it's just everyone else she's worried about.
"He's an excellent driver and understands that you really need to be careful and drive defensively," Marazzo said.
Gloucester Township police say they're also focusing on people speeding in work zones and drivers not heeding school bus driver stop signs.
