Tickets for using a cell phone behind the wheel increased tenfold after New Jersey tightened up its ban last month.
According to the Administrative Office of the Courts which oversees court statistics, citations went from about 1,300 in February to almost 13,000 in March.
On March 1, talking or text messaging on a handheld device became a primary offense, which means police can pull a driver over for that reason alone. The citation comes with a $100 fine.
Last month, drivers in Bergen County alone saw more than twice as many tickets as the entire state the month before.
