MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Texting, we have all come to admit, is the enemy of road safety everywhere. Applying makeup behind the wheel: more or less universally frowned upon. Few would condone driving while reading a book, rooting around in the back seat or eating anything that involves utensils.

In New Jersey, where suburban sprawl has elevated cars from mere possessions to four-wheeled appendages, and driving from an activity to a near-perpetual state of being, things are slightly more complicated.