In the United States, law enforcement has chosen to focus on scenic camouflage to stem the phenomenon of distracted driving. The Dunellen Borough Police Department, operating in the state of New Jersey, has in fact created a decidedly unconventional checkpoint by placing a camouflaged officer among the urban vegetation.
Covered entirely in branches and leaves from head to toe as if he were a plant and equipped with professional binoculars, the policeman positioned himself along the 100 block of North Washington Avenue, an arterial road in the city center with a high traffic density and characterized by a constant flow of pedestrians. From his camouflage position, the officer observed the passenger compartment of passing cars, identifying the infringements committed by those who proceeded with their gaze turned towards the smartphone screen rather than on the roadway.
The ironic post on social media went around the web
The results of the stakeout recorded record figures in the space of a single work shift. In the space of just six hours of patrolling, the camouflaged officer found and fined 74 motorists intent on handling electronic devices behind the wheel. The police department announced the details of the operation through an ironic message published on its Facebook page:
Did you notice our shrub today? If you had your head hunched over your phone, probably not!.
Continuing with the report of the activities carried out along the road, the Dunellen police forces outlined the outcome of the initiative, specifying the reason for the checkpoint:
Today, the Dunellen Police Department conducted a distracted driving enforcement operation in the 100 block of North Washington Ave. We specifically chose this busy, pedestrian-friendly area of downtown to enforce the New Jersey cell phone driving law and protect our community.
The balance of sanctions: 74 fines imposed
The post shared by the command then summarized with a joke the volume of work carried out in the field by the undercover agent, adding a recommendation aimed at road safety:
The result? Our shrub has been very active. We issued 74 tickets to drivers distracted by their devices in a six-hour period. Let this serve as a reminder: that message or notification can wait. Keep your eyes on the road, not on the screen!“.
And there is nothing to joke about because the legislation in force in the state of New Jersey severely punishes those who violate the rules on distracted driving: the code provides for a fine of 200 dollars for the first infringement, which rises to 400 dollars in the event of a second repeat offense up to 600 dollars for the third infringement, a scenario which also involves the deduction of 3 points from the license and the suspension of the driving document for a period of three months. And it matters little if whoever detects the infringement is well camouflaged with the vegetation.
