Red Bank police will be going after violators of a “largely disregarded” state law that bans driver use of cellphones without hands-free devices, according to a department announcement issued Monday morning.
The announcement says the crackdown will last a week and will entail road stops and checkpoints.
In March, 2008, an existing prohibition against use of a hand-held cellphone was boosted to a primary offense, meaning a driver could be pulled over and cited for that alone.
Here’s the full text of the announcement from Captain Darren McConnell, who heads the traffic safety division:
The Red Bank Police Department will be conducting a week-long crackdown on motorists utilizing cell phones while driving.
Roving patrols and checkpoints will be utilized throughout this week to identify offenders, and summonses will be issued.
The crackdown is needed as the cell phone law is largely disregarded and in a town as congested with vehicular and pedestrian traffic as Red Bank, the use of a cell phone is particularly dangerous.
A cell phone ticket will result in a fine of $130, but no points are assessed on a person’s driving record.
