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Distracted Driving and Careless Driving

On Saturday, three individuals were injured in Holmdel after two cars crashed on Route 34 north of Route 520. A Ford Taurus and a Ford Focus were involved in a head-on collision.

According to Holmdel police, the car accident took place just after 5 o’clock Saturday evening. The Taurus had reportedly been driving northbound on Route 34 when the vehicle passed over the divided line and crashed into the Focus.

A 29-year-old and a 26-year-old were reported to be the drivers. The 29-year-old was treated at the scene for a mouth laceration and a head injury and transported to a hospital in Freehold. The other driver was treated for a chest and elbow injury and later taken to a medical center in Neptune. A 34-year-old passenger who had been a passenger in the Focus received treatment at the scene for a chest injury, and was later taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Sources said the 29-year-old driver has been charged with failure to keep right, failure to maintain lane, failure to wear seat belt, and careless driving and unlawful use of a cellular device.

Though sources weren’t clear on the exact cause of the accident, it seems implicit that there was a bit of distracted driving going on prior to this accident. Distracted driving is among the top causes of car accidents. In New Jersey, handheld cell phones are banned for all drivers, as is texting. Novice drivers (under 21 with a GDL or provisional license) and bus drivers are banned from using any cell phone use.

Source: Ashbury Park Press, “Three injured in two-car crash in Holmdel,” Hartriono B. Sastrowardoyo, August 15, 2011.