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Distracted Driving

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NJ Student Drivers Need More Practice Hours Under New Law NJ Student Drivers Need More Practice Hours Under New Law
NJ Student Drivers Need More Practice Hours Under New Law A new law will require student drivers in New Jersey to spend more time learning behind the wheel before they can get a license. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill on Monday, Jan. 8, that requires student drivers 21 years old and under to spend at least 50 practice hours with an adult. The law also requires at least ten hours to be completed at night. Parents or other adults must certify the practice driving hours were completed. The new law also requires a sample driving log to be included in informational brochures given to parents or adults of student drivers under 18. The New Jer…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Drunken NJ Driver Admits Snapchatting At 156 MPH Before Fiery Wreck That Killed College Student Drunken NJ Driver Admits Snapchatting At 156 MPH Before Fiery Wreck That Killed College Student
Drunken NJ Driver Admits Snapchatting At 156 MPH Before Fiery Wreck That Killed College Student More than a year after a New York college student was killed in a fiery, drunk-driving crash in the region, the man responsible has formally confessed. Vasu Laroiya, 24, of Iselin, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in Albany County Court on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the death of Katie Fisher. Laroiya admitted that he was Snapchatting while driving drunk at 156 miles per hour on I-87 in Colonie when he struck Fisher’s Honda Civic on the night of May 28, 2022. Fisher, a 22-year-old junior at the University at Albany, then struck a guardrail on the eastern shoulder, causing her car t…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
NJ Tesla Driver Airlifted After Slamming Into AT&T Cell Tower In PA: State Police NJ Tesla Driver Airlifted After Slamming Into AT&T Cell Tower In PA: State Police
NJ Tesla Driver Airlifted After Slamming Into AT&T Cell Tower In PA: State Police A 46-year-old New Jersey man driving a Tesla was airlifted to York Hospital after crashing into an AT&T cellular tower along Interstate 76 in Pennsylvania, according to State Police in Newville.  Ashish Sonawane, of Livingston, was heading east through Blue Mountain Tunnel in Lurgan Township when he left his lane for an unknown reason while exiting the tunnel at 9:39 p.m. on Friday, March 31, 2023, as detailed in the release. He "struck a portable traffic trailer on the right shoulder" then rolled into the AT&T tower where his 2018 Y3 Tesla came to a stop, the police explained.…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Wayne Driver Lighting Cigarette Causes Head-On Crash In Oakland: Police Wayne Driver Lighting Cigarette Causes Head-On Crash In Oakland: Police
Wayne Driver Lighting Cigarette Causes Head-On Crash In Oakland: Police Two drivers from Wayne were injured in a head-on crash that Oakland police said was caused when one of them tried to light a cigarette. The distracted 58-year-old smoker crossed the double-yellow line on Ramapo Valley Road, where her KIA slammed into a Honda Pilot driven by a 65-year-old township woman in front of the Oakland Diner, Capt. Timothy Keenan said. The smoker was extricated by firefighters because the front fender of the KIA had been pushed into the driver's side door, jamming it shut, Keenan said. She'd also complained of chest pains, he said. The woman was taken to St. Joseph…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Police: Driver On Cell In Wrong-Way Crash That Wrecked SUVs, Toppled Pole In Hasbrouck Heights Police: Driver On Cell In Wrong-Way Crash That Wrecked SUVs, Toppled Pole In Hasbrouck Heights
Police: Driver On Cell In Wrong-Way Crash That Wrecked SUVs, Toppled Pole In Hasbrouck Heights A utility pole got knocked down outside a Hasbrouck Heights barber shop on Friday after a Jeep whose driver was on his cellphone drifted into oncoming traffic, authorities said. The 28-year-old Jeep driver from Garfield was distracted when the right front fender of his southbound Jeep struck the right front fender of a northbound SUV on Terrace Avenue just past Cleveland Avenue, Detective Lt. Michael Colaneri Jr. said. The Jeep continued onto the opposite sidewalk, toppling the pole, he said. An ambulance responded, but neither the Garfield driver nor the other motorist, a 65-year-old boro…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Fair Lawn Personal Trainer Was Using Phone When He Hit Motorcyclist On Route 17 Prosecutor: Fair Lawn Personal Trainer Was Using Phone When He Hit Motorcyclist On Route 17
Prosecutor: Fair Lawn Personal Trainer Was Using Phone When He Hit Motorcyclist On Route 17 A Fair Lawn personal trainer was charged with assault by auto after detectives discovered that he was using his handheld cellphone when his car hit a motorcyclist and another vehicle on Route 17 near Route 202 in Mahwah. Ryan M. McMullen, 37, was released pending a Sept. 18 first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Tuesday. McMullen “was using a handheld mobile device when he struck the 35-year-old motorcyclist from behind and then struck a third vehicle” around 4:45 p.m. Friday, the prosecutor said. The motorcyclist, wh…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Trucker Charged In Crash That Killed Jersey City Couple Headed To Own Wedding Trucker Charged In Crash That Killed Jersey City Couple Headed To Own Wedding
Trucker Charged In Crash That Killed Jersey City Couple Headed To Own Wedding Authorities say a truck driver from California was on his cell phone when he caused a chain-reaction crash on I-78 last year that claimed the lives of a couple headed to their wedding in western Pennsylvania, the Reading (Pa.) Eagle reported Wednesday. Jaspreet S. Chanal, 24, of Fresno, was charged this week with homicide by vehicle, careless driving resulting in death and other offenses. Chanal was traveling on I-78 near Windsor, Pa., on Nov. 14 when he passed signs advising motorists of road work ahead, according to authorities. Because he was distracted, Chahal crashed into the back of …

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
NO JOKE: Latest Distracted-Driver Crackdown Has Begun NO JOKE: Latest Distracted-Driver Crackdown Has Begun
NO Joke: Latest Distracted-Driver Crackdown Has Begun With driver inattention contributing to crashes in New Jersey at a rate nine times higher than speeding, local police are into another “UDrive. UText. UPay.” campaign. Officers on Monday, April 1, began targeting motorists who talk or text on hand-held cellphones while driving as part of a three-week crackdown aimed at reducing crashes. "This is clearly one of the most critical traffic safety issues that we face today," said Eric Heitmann, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2016 alone, 3,450 peo…

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by Jerry DeMarco