New Jersey State Police cracking down on bad driving habits with I-95 Challenge

NEW JERSEY -- A police crackdown on bad driving on the New Jersey Turnpike is underway Tuesday as part of a six-day safety campaign.

Officials are calling it the I-95 Challenge, with increased patrols targeting speeders, distracted drivers, aggressive drivers and anyone not wearing a seat belt or improperly using a cell phone.

"Speeding, seat belt usage and impaired driving have always been the big three causes of crashes and injuries in New Jersey," New Jersey State Trooper Steve Slimowicz said.

In the crash that severely injured comedian Tracy Morgan and killed one of his friends last year, investigators determined the tractor trailer driver that hit their limo van was going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit and driving on very little sleep.

Authorities are also looking at driver error in a recent 40-car pileup that left one man dead. Were drivers going too fast on the icy roadway? It's these and other unsafe habits that troopers will be keeping an eye out for, and more troopers will be out on patrol for the campaign.

"The purpose is to create a deterrent effect of poor diving habits and increase enforcement," Slimowicz said.