Hundreds of drivers were issued summonses in Bergen County after a crackdown on distracted driving practices.

Fairview police say that officers issued nearly 700 tickets for distracted driving within a three-week span. More than 400 of the tickets were for talking or texting on a cellphone.

Fairview Police Chief Martin Kahn tells News 12 New Jersey that he admits that the number of summonses is high, but says that the state-funded program that covered costs of the enforcement campaign is meant to make streets safer.

“It’s against the law to go out and use your phone and text while you're driving,” Kahn says. “So, if [drivers] see it as a money grab, that's how they see. We see it as a safety issue."

Tickets for first offenses start at about $200.

About 1,000 collisions happen a day in the United States due to distracted driving, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.