Motor Vehicle Officials Want Drivers To Stop Talking And Texting [AUDIO]

Jersey highway safety officials want all Garden state drivers to stop talking and texting on their cell phones - and steer clear of alcohol during the holiday season.

Representatives from the State Division of Highway Traffic Safety and the Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission - at the Bridgewater Commons Mall - promoted an interactive booth that gave shoppers the chance to tackle a video driving game while wearing vision impairing goggles, and typing a text message on their cell phones.

Ray Martinez, the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, said "distracted driving is a major problem in the Garden state - wherever you go, you see motorists using their hand-held cell phones, you see them texting, putting on makeup, eating pizza, you name it…we want people to focus on driving- let's keep it a nice happy holiday season, no accidents, no fatalities, no injuries…the way we do that is by making sure that first of all- buckle up, be careful about drinking and driving, and also focus on driving when you're driving."

He said talking, texting or surfing the web while driving is not a good idea, because:

"First of all you're thinking about what you're doing instead of thinking about driving, your hands are then also busy instead of being on the wheel…when you're behind the wheel, focus on driving for the time that you're driving, and then when you park you can take care of the phone call or the text message…the fact is, if you're distracted while driving, that is just as bad as being impaired by alcohol or drugs - because you're not focusing on the task at hand…at this time of year people are rushed and they're harried - we understand that- but please focus on driving, we don't want any accidents:06 or crashes this year."