While it seems that motor vehicle crashes ending in fatalities are more common, they’ve actually decreased. Looking at statistics since 2017 on NJ’s roads- it shows fatals have dropped by around 10%. All of this is sadly brought to focus after the double-fatal head-on crash yesterday on the Parkway. Vehicles and roads get safer each year, but none of this accounts for driver error. So, exactly how safe are our roads- and which roads are highways of death in the Garden State?
The New Jersey State Police are the general record keepers for the crash data in our state. With 2020 just ending, the formal numbers aren’t finalized yet. We will take a look at 2019’s numbers for this report- and update when 2020 is released.
Below is a small breakdown showing the statistics from 2017-2018-2019.
Now we take a look at the ages of victims who died on our roads for 2019. While there isn’t any one age group that disproportionately sways the statistics, remember that 16 year olds can receive learner permits in NJ.
Finally, we can sleep a little easier tonight knowing that Ocean County is not number one for this list. Camden County is the most fatal county for vehicle crashes in 2019 with 45 deaths. Ocean County is kind of in the top 5, with 37 reported deaths in 2019.
Preliminary numbers show 2020 totals to be about 549 accidents with 586 fatalities. This is an increase over 2019’s numbers- which is interesting. 2020 apparently saw a large decline in vehicle traffic- but it appears deadlier. We will examine 2020’s numbers when NJSP releases them.
We were able to retrieve the breakdown of each fatality on Ocean County roads from 2020. The dates, times, and locations of each fatal crash are given below in the table. For record purposes- the Garden State Parkway (GSP) uses internal code NJ State Route 444 to abbreviate.
Ocean County | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Municipality | Date | Time | Location | Fatalities |
Toms River | 12/26/2020 | 1054 | State Highway 37 E | 1 |
Jackson Twsp | 12/24/2020 | 1802 | County 527 | 1 |
Manchester Twsp | 12/12/2020 | 2025 | State Highway 70 E | 1 |
Berkeley Twsp | 11/29/2020 | 1340 | Westbrook Dr E MP 0 | 1 |
Stafford Twsp | 11/27/2020 | 1027 | State Highway 72 W | 1 |
Plumsted Twsp | 11/12/2020 | 1733 | County 640 E | 1 |
Manchester Twsp | 11/05/2020 | 1728 | Beckerville Road approx .8 miles west of SH 70 | 1 |
Lacey Twsp | 10/25/2020 | 0510 | State Highway 9 (Multiple Roads) | 1 |
Jackson Twsp | 10/22/2020 | 1443 | County 547 | 1 |
Lakewood Twsp | 10/21/2020 | 2030 | County 637 S | 1 |
Brick Twsp | 10/10/2020 | 1536 | County 549 | 1 |
“ | 09/18/2020 | 2248 | County 528 E | 1 |
Lacey Twsp | 09/18/2020 | 0558 | County 539 | 1 |
Stafford Twsp | 09/16/2020 | 0850 | State Highway 72 E at Barnacle Drive | 1 |
Toms River | 09/05/2020 | 2315 | State/Interstate Authority 444 S MP 86 | 1 |
Jackson Twsp | 09/05/2020 | 1639 | Thompson Bridge Rd E MP 0 | 1 |
Toms River | 08/18/2020 | 1700 | County 571 W (Spur (County Routes Only)) | 1 |
Eagleswood Twsp | 06/14/2020 | 2332 | County 606 E MP 2.4 | 1 |
Ocean Twsp | 06/07/2020 | 1713 | State/Interstate Authority 444 N MP 70 | 1 |
Jackson Twsp | 06/05/2020 | 1524 | Interstate 195 E MP 21.8 | 1 |
Little Egg Harbor T | 05/11/2020 | 1537 | State/Interstate Authority 444 S MP 58.8 | 1 |
Stafford Twsp | 04/26/2020 | 0646 | County 111 N MP 2 | 1 |
“ | 03/25/2020 | 1731 | Stafford Ave E MP 0 | 1 |
Berkeley Twsp | 03/09/2020 | 1333 | State Highway 9 S MP 88.5 | 1 |
Toms River | 02/28/2020 | 1433 | State Highway 70 W MP 49.27 at CR 637 | 1 |
Eagleswood Twsp | 02/22/2020 | 1751 | County 606 W MP 2.1 | 1 |
Jackson Twsp | 01/31/2020 | 2226 | County 547 N MP 3.8 | 1 |
Manchester Twsp | 01/28/2020 | 1634 | County 8 E MP .72 at Northampton Blvd | 1 |
Stafford Twsp | 01/26/2020 | 1752 | State/Interstate Authority 444 S MP 64.5 | 1 |
Toms River | 01/26/2020 | 0309 | State Highway 37 E MP 6.65 | 1 |
Brick Twsp | 01/13/2020 | 1751 | County 549 (Spur (County Routes Only)) MP 2.9 | 1 |
Accident Count: 31 | County Totals: | 31 |
Sadly- finally, we open 2021 with two fatalities on the roads of New Jersey. The two passengers from the Barnegat GSP crash are a somber reminder to stay safe always, but especially on the roads. While we cannot avoid every accident that happens- we can pay attention better to provide enough time to drive defensively and avoid collisions. Remember, you very well may be Right, Dead Right (when proclaiming who has the right-of-way)
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