SOUTH BRUNSWICK - A Baltimore man’s Tesla was destroyed Monday after the vehicle crashed into a tractor-trailer on Route 1, shearing off the passenger’s side of the roof.
The driver suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention, police said.
Near Route 1 and Executive Drive, Officer Brian Kim investigated and determined the driver was distracted at the time of the 8:20 a.m. Monday crash, police said.According to Kim’s investigation, the 2020 Tesla was traveling north on Route 1 in the right lane. The driver told Kim he had his cruise control on when he momentarily lost focus on the roadway and his vehicle drifted onto the shoulder where it struck a 2005 Freightliner tractor-trailer, which was disabled, police said.
“This crash could easily have been fatal, and easily have been prevented if the driver was paying attention,” Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said.Starting Thursday and running through the end of April, a law enforcement initiative — UDrive, UText, UPay — will target motorists who engage in dangerous distracted driving behaviors such as talking on hand-held cellphones and sending text messages.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2018 alone, 2,841 people were killed in distracted driving crashes on the nation’s roadways and an estimated 400,000 people were injured, police said.
In New Jersey, driver inattention was listed as a contributing circumstance in 50 percent of the state’s crashes in 2018. Driver inattention was in fact listed as a contributing factor in crashes at a rate seven times higher than that of the next highest contributing factor (speed), police said.Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving, police said.
Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed, police said. “Today we were lucky we didn’t have a fatal crash but starting April 1 a new crackdown will focus on this danger. Drivers have a responsibility to pay attention as they drive. Last year five motorists lost their lives on roadways in the township. This crackdown hopes to raise awareness of the danger of distracted driving,” Hayducka said.