www.nj.com/news/2024/07/heres-how-many-nj-traffic-deaths-have-happened-so-far-in-2024.html
Here’s how many N.J. traffic deaths have happened so far in 2024. Spoiler: It's bad and getting worse
Central JerseyEspecially big pickup trucks and Hondas with tinted windows.
Tinted windows are the common denominator
Not the only common denominator
I would add BMWs and Jeeps. It’s always someone in those four cars driving like they are high on crack.
The the extra dirty license plate covers
Those are usually cops
or their families?
Pick up drivers are the worst drivers, the most entitled fucks on the road
the most entitled fucks on the road
Nah that’s motorcycle riders.
I'd wager it's tesla or BMW drivers
There needs to be a separate license that indicates need in order to drive a pickup in Jersey
Just make anything classified as a truck require a CDL.
Would help emissions too since everyone with an SUV would trade in for a sedan...
And trucks and SUVs ought to be taxed waaay higher because they're heavier and larger, so they: 1. do more damage to roads than cars, 2. do more damage to human beings, 3. are more dangerous to drive around because they block sightlines when they're moving and when they're parked. Inb4 bbbutbroIneedmytrucktohaulshitforworkandalsoIcanseesoooomuchbetter no, shut the fuck up, you can't, you professional air-hauler, you drive a coffee and a clipboard to work in your big dumb fuckin empty truck.
Add this video, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuX-5E7xoU
Per the 2022 NJSP fatal crash report, of the 1100 vehicles involved in fatal crashes, only 89 pickups were involved. Passenger cars were nearly 4x the rate of fatal crashes than pickups.
But what's the breakdown between fatalities inside the car vs. outside? Maybe I should amend my most: pickups and SUVs are more dangerous for everyone outside them. And looking at only one state is a misrepresentation, I think. After all, NJ isn't the only state where these vehicles are driven.
Yep I see it alot
I saw a cop today on 287 in an undercover suburban. He sped up behind somebody in the left lane, flashed his lights, the car moved over, lights off, the cop ripped it 90mph. He proceeds to do this to several other cars just so that he can get people out of his way and speed. Lights on and off. I’d imagine that’s not legal.
The cops don’t give a fuck. They don’t even follow the rules.
I’ve seen cops do this multiple times and from what I understand, the data says a clear left lane is actually safer. The reasoning behind it was a little murky to me because it talked a lot about probability, but the ultimate conclusion was that a driver is at a higher risk of an accident when they’re in close proximity to another driver.
Something like 60% of accidents at speeds greater than 55mph are blind spot collisions. The optimal time to be in another driver’s blind spot is less than 1 second (I don’t remember the exact number) where you have a 10% probability of being in an accident.
The risk of an accident increases exponentially the longer you remain in a blind spot. What the study suggested was that having the ability to pass other drivers at higher speeds, thereby reducing the amount of time that the passing driver is in a blind spot of a driver being overtaken, is actually safer. A clear left lane is necessary to accomplish this.
I’ll find the study and edit my comment with it. It was very eye opening.
I hate when people sit in my blind spot . Either pass me or slow down and get behind me but don’t keep pace with me behind my left shoulder.
Let me clarify. He wasn’t getting traffic out of the left lane. There was minimal traffic and there was probably a quarter to half mile between each car he did this to.
He was driving up each cars butthole, within a few feet from the bumper, then flicking the lights on to pass.
I avoid being in blind spots to the best of my ability at all times!
That's far less of a problem then the idiots who swerve in and out of lanes and barely miss hitting people as they drive by. These guys cause accidents and the cups do nothing. The guy going 80 in the left lane isn't they problem. Next time you see a guy weaving in and out of traffic, try to get his license number and call the police on 911
No no I get it. My point was that those guys swerve around and there never seems to be a cop. But when I do actually see a cop they don’t even follow traffic laws themselves
An undercover cop did that to me within 1/4 mile of a left lane exit, so I had to move to the middle lane, and immediately back into the left lane. It was definitely for their ego, if it were a real emergency, they wouldn't have wasted 10 seconds tailgating me before turning on their lights.
I've nearly been rear ended by one of those shitty blacked out DARE cars. Jackass lit me up, moved me over, and then nearly rear ended the very next guy in the lane on rte 130.
They always get as close as they can to everyone’s bumper. Even when not pulling them over. What the hell is the deal with that???
I live in a shore town and I regularly see cops pulling people over for going >5 mph over. Yet on the parkway a jerk off in a bmw or a stanced Honda is zipping within a foot of people doing 90, state cops don’t do shit. It blows my mind
I see it all the time on I295. Its scary. You can hear the engines coming and sometimes it's 2-3 at a time. They can have a death wish but do they have to hurt someone else?
If you can see a repeating pattern why can't the police nab somebody for it?
It's amazing how often I see people weaving and speeding on the parkway right past a state trooper. If these police officers are sitting there on their phone they are stealing time.
Cops don't care anymore. We keep funding them but I don't know how hard it is to leave one unit at the spot on the highway where you always see maniac drivers.
Not to mention every car is tinted so you don't have eye contact which is kinda helpful as humans and I would have thought police as a whole would be against any tint but I guess not.
And I get the article because I personally have never seen more red light passers than in the past two years. It's absurd.
Agreed. Perfect analogy. Behaving as if driving was a video game. Well said!!
meanwhile twice just this week we had people in here asking how to fight well deserved speeding/reckless driving tickets...
Lol, ie; "I was driving 100mph and the cop was so rude"
I was only drinking at the red lights, not when I was driving!
It's weird af. You got people who have taken covid seriously enough because it's a potential harm to others so they went through social distancing. Cars kill a lot of people every day. Average human beings in America probably take the most risk just by getting into a car and driving. Yet the concept of safety/risk is forgotten just for convenience or to shave 1 second off the trip. Yeah slow, inattentive drivers piss me off but that's not an excuse to just start toying with people's lives and disregard safety.
It's because people feel like they are in control when they're driving vs the randomness of covid
I think about this a lot and I’m like why am I driving to work. I’m literally risking my life to work
Dude there was a thread like that a few weeks back and the person was literally complaining about the amount of damage 6 speeding tickets is doing to his insurance premium lmao. Six fucking tickets.
I don't even understand how recklessly you need to drive to get six fucking tickets man. Dude needed his license revoked.
For real. Especially because NJ cops are already pretty lenient IMO. I'm originally from a state that's way stricter on traffic laws (you WILL get a ticket going 5 over the posted limit) and even then don't know anybody who's had 6 tickets... maybe someone older and spread out over decades, but not in any time period that would impact insurance premiums.
I've never gotten a ticket in my life and I don't consider myself a particularly reserved or rule-stickler driver. Like if I'm on the interstate and traffic is moving at 80 I'm going 80. They've gotta be doing some crazy shit to get to 6.
The Cummins V8 gets optimal fuel mileage when you’re utilizing all its cylinders on the pkwy. I think we’ve always been speeding, and we’ve always caused accidents, but with the size of vehicles involved in crashes now, there’s a higher chance of deadly accidents. And no, being inside a big truck doesn’t protect you from the other trucks.
Cars have been getting safer and safer with each subsequent generation of safety features and deaths per capita should be on a consistent decline.
My first car, a 2002, had 2 airbags and little else. My 2007 had 4 airbags and was essentially a giant crumple zone. My 2013 added backup cameras, auto dimming mirrors so you don't get blinded and added full side curtain airbags.
In the last decade they've added 360 cameras, better crumple zone technology, engines that drop out the bottom instead of slamming through cabin, automating, blind zone detection warnings, ect.
Car size has made being a pedestrian more unsafe, but overall cars are much much safer, people are just that much more distracted or reckless.
And being distracted in a big ass truck is more destructive than in a sedan. They’re also more likely to end up upside down in high speeds.
Lucky I wasn't the cop.... I'd inspect the car top to bottom, looking to impound it
Do you ever get someone who is mad at you for interrupting their phone call? "Hey can't you frigin see this phone in my hand?"
Like the HVAC guy from NYC today, who strayed from the left of the lane to the right and back for 4 miles, while dragging his bumper 8 mph below the limit? Like that?
I got downvoted for telling one post not to drive 55+ in the merging right lane
I didn’t see that post but you’re supposed to go up to match everyone’s speed in the merging right lanes that’s what it’s there for. If the next lane over are at 55, then people merging in need to be at around 55.
Me personally I’m just in the left two lanes unless I need to exit. I know they’re technically supposed to speed up but in my view it’s just less hazardous to leave that lane open if traffic is merging
that's reasonable and good defensive driving. if it's not too much for me to just be in one of the left lanes, then i'll move over to give the people merging in more space. but sometimes, esp when there's traffic, it's safer to just continue in the same lane at a predictable speed so that people can adjust to you.
My favorite is when one guy is trying to merge on at 35mph, and all the cars behind them are tailgating, so theres no room for any cars to merge. Then the people behind get frustrated and immediately try and get to the left lane, almost causing an accident.
If you're merging onto or off of a highway with a 55+ speed limit then at some point you should be driving 55+ in the merge lane. The lane is there so you don't slow down in a traffic lane or merge into a traffic lane at below highway speed.
Lol yes I remember this in the post of the guy complaining about Bergen county well I upvoted you man
I mean listing an arbitrary speed really isn't how it works, conditions vary wildly. And don't be a moving pilon either. I've seen people do 45 on a clear highway, I mean take a county road if that's the speed you're comfortable going in a 65 where everyone is doing 70.
People going too slow are just as dangerous on the highway as people going too fast.
They can be if they’re in the wrong lane. If slow drivers stayed in the right and maintained the minimum speed and fast drivers were able to properly use the left lane we’d alleviate a lot of idiotic driving. It’s just insane that theres no real flow of traffic here, too many drivers on both ends of the spectrum
What’s the minimum, genuinely curious
I feel like “genuinely curious” on reddit rarely means that.
The interstate I’m pretty sure is 40, not sure about the parkways and other highways
No, I really want to know, thanks. I usually drive slower than most; I don’t have fast reflexes. But If it’s a 65 and everyone’s doing 80, anything under 60 puts me and others more at risk despite my ability or comfort level.
I tend to the middle lanes. The right lane sucks because people are always merging in and out, but no matter where I’m at, a solid 10% of other drivers act like they’re more interested in a feeding tube than their families and homes.
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I'd say it another way, if you're being tailed perhaps the car should pass you. Too many tailgate instead of passing the other car and if cars can't pass you and you're being tailgated then pull over and let the car and especially the truck go by you.
You are thinking too narrowly when it comes to highways.
Going slower is safer if you are going to come to an abrupt stop. But going slower means more people changing lanes to avoid you which increases the risk of accidents. The safer bet is to travel with traffic. Traffic isn't going to go the speed limit but you create a hazard in doing so. You are talking about an accident and other people are talking about avoiding accidents.
People act like the speed limit is the minimum you must go on a road, when it's meant to be the upper bound
Speed limits haven't been updated and apply to everyone regardless of car design or driving skill. Many of them were set around fuel economy and not safety.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law
See the Autobahn for an example of higher speeds being fine in certain circumstances.
Well said. Too many don't know these simple facts.
Speaking of… does anyone know if they deleted the post from all the negativity? Sure seems that way since I can’t find it
Yea fuck that guy
People text and drive, blatantly, with ZERO consequences. I was almost rear ended by a high speed vehicle the other day, with my daughter in the backseat, after I had been sitting with my left blinker on waiting to turn, zero cars waiting behind me.
There was no reason this person didn't see me, and they both swerved and braked hard at the last second. It's terrifying
Too many average folks think they're not reckless drivers, but if you're using your phone when you're driving, or driving 10 over the limit literally anywhere, you're part of the problem. Put your two hands on the wheel and slow the fuck down.
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Did you fight your insurance on the comps? Because that's really shitty if they didn't match your vehicle to what's on the market. So sorry you lost your Jeep, but glad you are ok.
That is so fucked
Drivers have been noticeably more ballsy in the last year. Stop signs seem to be suggestions lately. I almost got clipped by someone who didn't yield at the sign who then sped up and honked at me as if I screwed up?
The amount of people that act like stop signs don't exist now is ridiculous. Either they roll halfway through into the lane and stop or they just speed right through it and then you're left to adjust for their shitty driving.
I’d prefer people to go through them as opposed to the ones who go practically full speed through it and slam on their breaks with their hood sticking out into the lane.
The other day, the woman immediately behind me was upset the lane we were in wasn’t moving quickly enough in our approach to the red light, so she whipped around me. She immediately realized she needed back over and when I beeped to inform her I wouldn’t let her take off my front bumper as she tried to squeeze her giant SUV into the space ahead of me, she got angry and cut someone else off, then gave me the finger as she sped by as if I was the asshole in the situation.
I’m not sure in which universe she would have been in the right on this one, but she was convinced of it. It’s the stupidity combined with arrogance and/or entitlement that gets me.
I have come close to just selling my car multiple times recently, drivers have been so bad and oblivious.
I also want to stop using my car so much and instead switch to public transportation and biking/walking. However, NJ Transit is a shit show and other drivers want to kill me on the bike. Walking is the safest choice for me so far but it only takes me so far.
You may already know this, but public transit is tremendously safer. For buses, 50X safer per passenger mile and for trains, 17X safer. Of course it may not be available or convenient in many situations which is why we need to end under-investment in transit throughout the state.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/deaths-by-transportation-mode/
How are buses that much safer than trains?
Here's the data table for the graph
Busses have more deaths per year, but it seems they are responsible for far more passenger-miles than trains are. It's kinda hair splitty at that point though because you're looking at 17 bus fatalities vs 7 train fatalities vs 25,407 car fatalities for 2022.
Intuitively though I would have thought that trains are safer.
Are any of the bus or train fatalities just someone having a heart attack or something in transit? Or are they all from collisions/accidents?
If I had to guess (not an expert, just a lover of public transit) trains have a higher capacity and their incidents tend to be fewer but deadlier. So if a bus gets into a collision, it’ll be carrying max 60 people and injuries will likely not be severe. Even though trains have fewer incidents, derailments and collisions can mean serious injuries for potentially hundreds of people.
Its amazing how many times I'll see someone losing their shit over something so petty like someone merging late. When we all merge like 15 times on a single drive and its confusing as all fuck
Try riding a motorcycle… it’s hardly fun anymore
I’ve noticed drivers have been getting more aggressive over the last 5 years. Covid really put it in gear.
Yes! 100%
Even mild covid infection causes structural brain damage in 100% of infected, with 70% of mild infection cases exhibiting subsequent symptoms of mental illness and/or cognitive dysfunction.
Covid infection can impair immune system response for about two years after infection, rendering people more vulnerable to infections of all kinds -- from viruses, bacteria, or fungus. It is perhaps not a coincidence that we have seen "tripledemics" every year for the last three years.
Covid infection also subsequently increases rates of autoimmune diseases, like type one diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, and crohn's disease.
Brain damage, mental illness, cognitive dysfunction: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52005-7
Immune system dysfunction: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2319417023000872
Increased risk of autoimmune diseases (like type one diabetes): https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00331-0/fulltext
It feels like more and more people are driving extremely aggressive. I can't just do the speed limit down a 40 mph road anymore without someone driving up my ass and getting pissed.
I fucking hate driving my car anymore, but I can't walk to a bunch of places either because of shit design.
I hate tailgaters. That shit is so dangerous. If you have to brake for any reason, such as debris in the road, they won't have enough time to react and then they'll plow into you. Not to mention how much visibility drops when you have a emotional support vehicle with LED headlights shining directly into your face. They're purposely endangering other drivers because they're impatient and feel the need to prove a point. We have to share the road. It's not anyone's personal road. The way people drive shows you what the current state of society is like. Selfish and reckless all the way down.
I know, the tailgating is ridiculous now. I’ll drive below the speed limit when they start tailgating. I figure if they hit be at least it will be at a slower speed. People need to learn manners, decency and safety on the road. There are actual people in the other cars.
My husband was just rear ended by someone because they weren’t paying attention and were far too close. What ever happened to a car’s length for safety distance?
It’s amazing, we keep seeing driving deaths increase. We keep seeing accidents increase. We keep seeing all these things related to poor driving increase. Yet…..every time I see a local police officer or state officer, they’re parked with the radar gun. It’s not SPEEDING that kills everyone. It’s the constant texting, it’s the manic insane people weaving in and out of lanes. It’s the “I pay the pba and used to be a cop, so I drive how I want” people. Instead of sitting in one spot so the map apps can mark them as a speed trap, PATROL THE ROADS. Drive up and down them. One on each side. Would tickets increase? Sure, but then we might actually incentivize people to stop the insanity
Don't forget the assholes cutting across the paint or driving in the shoulder for an exit...
Was driving down 95 and exiting to 21-rt 3 there was a car pulled over in the exit multiple cops meanwhile several people speeding down the shoulder and across striped lines yet none of them were stopped by the 3 cop suvs parked in the paint because of one guy they pulled over in a shitty 1990 Honda... literally one of the guys speeding in the shoulder almost hit the pulled over car!
Some asshat in a red sentra did that to me yesterday.
They probably are on their phones too
I live on a “cut through” street in my town. Fairly busy, 25MPH speed limit and a lot of pedestrians. As I’m out walking the dog the number of people you see driving down the block with two hands on their phone is just insane.
The amount of times I look around while driving and see peoples heads tilted down...
A dude on my linkedin gets out of traffic tickets by keeping trump hats on the passenger seat and gives them to cops as gifts. I'm not joking, he posted a video on linkedin.
He says, "These temporary plates on my new car expired in February, but I like to keep them on because it's Lawrence Taylor's birthday. I get stopped every 2 weeks or so, but the secret to getting out of those tickets are keeping these MAGA hats and when I get a compliment on them, I hand them to the cop."
Degenerate.
I'm not really mad at this guy. I'm much more upset with the officers.
I see cops breaking the same laws they’re supposed to enforce so I expect nothing from them yet I’m still disappointed
They have no interest in traffic enforcement.
We keep seeing drving deaths increase
THe thing is, deaths were down 12 percent in 2023 vs. 2022 and we are WAY down from our highs in traffic deaths back in the 90s and early 2000s.
Cars are safer
You are correct, but I'm actually taking a deep dive into these numbers to see how many fatalities were due to not wearing a seatbelt.
Literally just this morning saw a Montclair sherrif “woopwoop” through a troop of like 3 dozen eight year old campers crossing the road at a 4 way stop. Scattered them and turned the siren off once through.
i think they meant it’s the least dangerous out of the things they listed…
I think it’s also important to note there’s a difference between going 70 in a 55 on an interstate, where noone is crossing the street, and doing 40 in a 25, where that difference can mean life or death if you hit someone.
100% agree. but i rather 40 in a 25 compared texting when there are no eyes on the road
Well, I'd like to see their numbers.
On 295 this spring I saw 4 cars doing over 100mph driving on the shoulder and using every lane going in and out around cars like it was a fucking movie. This was at 2pm on a Sunday, not a cop to be found.
No surprise. Here's what i saw on a 30 min drive today:
- A car and semi-trailer drive over the raised median on the Pulaski Skyway because they didn't want to wait in traffic to get on the turnpike
- A few cars turn onto a blocked road. They just drove around/over the cones. Cop just stood there watching.
- A car slow down to ~30 mph in the left lane for reasons on the Pulaski Skyway. He almost caused a pileup.
- A bunch of people driving at high speeds while playing with their phones
People are maniacs
A car and semi-trailer drive over the raised median on the Pulaski Skyway because they didn't want to wait in traffic to get on the turnpike
These curbs? People have been hoping those for decades.
"A total of 314 people died on the roads this year, more than the 266 who were killed during the same time period in 2023, an increase of 18%."
"The state also saw a spike in pedestrian deaths, from 77 in 2023 to 99 as of July 2, with most of those in the 59 to 79 age groups."
It's not just Covid anymore. And nationally crash deaths have decline 3%.
I added the Central Jersey flair because the problem is especially bad (but not limited to) Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer, and Burlington Counties right now. Stats here: https://nj.gov/njsp/info/fatalacc/index.shtml
For example, year-to-date, Middlesex County has seen 34 crash deaths. In 2014, there were "only" 33 crash deaths the *entire year*.
The status quo is for things to continue to get worse. If you want to see change, you are going to have to ask your electeds for it.
I recently moved to Mercer and holy shit I didn’t think it was possible to get worse than North Jersey drivers but somehow it’s so much worse.
Almost every time I go out driving I come across someone in the oncoming lane crossing over the double yellow. They’re either geriatric or looking at their phone or just incompetent. People merge on to roads and cross three lanes, slam on their brakes at green lights, and more.
Two weeks ago I’m on 295 in an exit lane and three cars sitting on the shoulder decide to merge back on to the road. Instead of accelerating they slowly get up to 40mph and one jumps into the middle lane, causing a slew of cars going 65+ to hit their brakes and make all sorts of lane changes.
There is an intersection by my living space where there is an accident once every two weeks, no exaggerations.
Weird. I live in Mercer and haven't noticed that drivers are especially bad here.
I don't know what it is but I find NJ drivers are really bad compared to other places in US. NJ drivers are way less courteous, generally drive faster and far more unpredictable.
What kind of change could the elected folks even make?
Redesigning roadways for safety. Many well-known and low cost tactics including curb extensions, narrowing lane width, safer speed limits, enforcement. Dangerous state roads need the state to work on. County roads the county. Municipal roads are your mayor and council. Also ending under-investment in transit which is 17X-50X safer than private vehicles for the same trips but is not available or convenient for many situations.
Resources:
https://njbwc.org/
https://www.visionzero4nj.org/
https://hudcostreets.org/
The only improvement would be for pedestrian accidents.
For speeding, distracted driving etc? The only enforcement that will work at this point would be automated.
Roads are currently designed where people feel comfortable enough to look at their phone while driving. If roads are designed where drivers feel less comfortable and feel like they HAVE to pay attention to avoid getting into an accident, then they will pay more attention.
I've seen people on their phones in heavy but moving traffic, where paying attention is key to not rear end those in front of you.
People don't care.
If the road has wide lanes, clear zones, runs perfectly straight then it is still comfortable to drive on even if there is traffic. As long as the traffic is going a consistent pace, people will feel like they can "get away" with looking at their phone. And most of the time they will get away with it so they will keep doing it. The driver does not have to think about the road at all.
If the lanes are narrow that they risk scraping curbs, barriers, or parked cars, or if there are sharp curves or chicanes, they have to think about how they are driving and that makes them more attentive. They won't feel comfortable enough to be looking at their phone so much.
They could bring back the mechanical inspections to go along with emissions checks at Motor Vehicles. Too many main characters in their own livestreams, with dark tints, noisy exhausts, and bright lights, drunk and high and doing dangerous things for views, likes, and comments. I’ve lost count of the number of times my knucklehead neighbor came home with a piece of his car broken off, on the phone with a girl and bragging about it. It’s a whole subculture.
Makes sense since those counties have quite a few people and very little public transportation.
Thanks
Middlesex County is one of a handful of counties to have population density and have both the turnpike and parkway running through it.
Speaking of the turnpike, 2014 was also the year that a major construction project was going on between exits 6 and 9.
Am i the only one who thinks there are less police presence
On the highways yes. Everyday around 4pm I see people using the shoulder as a lane when the traffic isn’t even that bad yet. I didn’t see that this often before Covid.
What it comes down to, as as a generalization of everyone elses comments is an increase in selfish driving. Just people generally super unaware of their environment or they care so little that they are willing to do whatever it takes to get their way. What we need is for people in general to stop being selfish drivers. Being 100% aware is obviously number one; for instance, too many drivers are approached from the rear in the left lane and don't move over despite having space. Ya'll are truly the biggest offenders in my opinion and produce the remaining offenders. The other type is the ones who responds poorly to the unaware by being even more selfish to counter their negligence. I am sad to say that sometimes, I am the latter to a small degree during times when the offender is so blatantly unaware of their negligence. All of this ties back to needing more conscious driving across the board.
What we need is for people in general to stop being selfish
drivers
Careful now! They might call you a Liberal shill if you start caring about other people's wellbeing. /s
I think we all should acknowledge the elephant in the room. Many citizens are starting to believe there is no rule of law in the US, and that comes from the top. Even the police don't know what to make of it, so they've stopped enforcing.
Just for some context:
2023: 614
2022: 689
2021: 697
2020: 587
2019: 558
2018: 563
2017: 624
2016: 602
2015: 562
2014: 556
2013: 542
Between 2002-2007, the fatalities were trending in the mid-700s. We dropped to the high 500s in 2008, and kept it between the mid 500s and the low 600s until 2021. That's when we started getting into the high 600s again, but it trended down only last year.
Comparatively overall, we're doing much better than the 80s and 90s. we haven't seen over 800 deaths since 96, and we haven't seen over 700 since 2007 (although we came real close in 21 and 22)
We are halfway through the year and we're at 315. The expectation is that numbers will spike because of the warmer months. We are currently at a pace of 53 deaths a month.
Overall: Not as good as last year, but better than 2022.
Is this tracking with population/increased amount of people driving post-covid?
You know, that's another interesting data point to consider. NJ's population stagnated around 8.8-8.9 million between 2014-2020, and then spiked to over 9.25 immediately after 2020 and COVID.
We need enforcement again. We need speed cameras in downtowns and residential neighborhoods. Plain and simple.
People drive like this because they know they will likely get away with it.
Just have undercovers that are tasked with driving around patrolling the roads for nutbags.
Police have shown that they can't be counted on for basically anything, giving them license for even more traffic stops id counterproductive at best
I see cops breaking traffic laws everyday too. They don’t give a fuck
Speed cameras are only part of the solution, we also need to build narrower and more complicated roads to slow drivers down
I would encourage folks to read up on the growing size of road vehicles (SUVs and trucks have outsold sedans for more than 8 years now, with SUVs and trucks now almost 80% of all new vehicles sold in the US) and how that contributes to a rise in both pedestrian deaths and large vs smaller car accidents.
CBC: How the automobile industry turned us into SUV drivers
Infographic from Reddit on truck visibility vs actual tanks
Edit: adding Vox: The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars
Yep, I still drive regular sized vehicles (2024 VW Golf R, 2020 Audi S3 (yes I know they're basically the same car)) and it's crazy how often I can't see past the vehicle in front of me.
Mmhmm, Toyota Camry here and I frequently feel unseen/invisible to large vehicles. I can't imagine how motorcyclists and cyclists feel. A few years ago I would have thought it cool but not essential to have a dashcam - now I ensure mine is on and working before I drive.
Per the 2022 NJSP Fatal Crash report (last complete report), of all the vehicles involved in fatal crashes - 1099 total - passenger cars made up 42%. SUVs were 25%, and pickup trucks were 8%.
Those numbers haven't changed much since 2018. In fact, the one vehicle that has gone through the roof of being involved in fatal crashes was motorcycles.
I don't think that data speaks to the crux of the problem, which is that SUVs and light trucks* are much more deadly when involved in accidents with things smaller than them.
*'Light truck' isn't a box truck or anything, it covers most of the Ford F150/250, Dodge Ram, Chevy Silverado cohort
Evidence:
- 2020 NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts
- Fatal Passenger Car and Light-Truck, Two-Vehicle Crashes: When a passenger car and a light truck hit head-on, an occupant was 2.9 to 3.7 times more frequently killed in the passenger car than in the light truck. In 2020 the ratio was 3.1. When a light truck front hit the side of a passenger car, an occupant was 13.3 to 22.7 times more frequently killed in the passenger car than in the light truck.
- Fatal Passenger Car and Light-Truck, Two-Vehicle Crashes: When a passenger car and a light truck hit head-on, an occupant was 2.9 to 3.7 times more frequently killed in the passenger car than in the light truck. In 2020 the ratio was 3.1. When a light truck front hit the side of a passenger car, an occupant was 13.3 to 22.7 times more frequently killed in the passenger car than in the light truck.
- Journal of Safety Research, 2022
- Results suggest that children are eight times more likely to die when struck by a SUV compared to those struck by a passenger car. Passenger cars were the striking vehicle in most fatal pedestrian and pedalcyclist crashes, though they were underrepresented relative to the proportion of all crashes in which they were involved. Though pickup trucks were the striking vehicle in just 5.6% of pedestrian and pedalcyclist crashes, they were involved in 12.6% of fatalities. SUVs were similarly overrepresented in fatalities relative to the proportion of their involvement in all crashes. SUVs struck 14.7% of the pedestrians and pedalcyclists investigated here, but were involved in 25.4% of the fatalities.
- Results suggest that children are eight times more likely to die when struck by a SUV compared to those struck by a passenger car. Passenger cars were the striking vehicle in most fatal pedestrian and pedalcyclist crashes, though they were underrepresented relative to the proportion of all crashes in which they were involved. Though pickup trucks were the striking vehicle in just 5.6% of pedestrian and pedalcyclist crashes, they were involved in 12.6% of fatalities. SUVs were similarly overrepresented in fatalities relative to the proportion of their involvement in all crashes. SUVs struck 14.7% of the pedestrians and pedalcyclists investigated here, but were involved in 25.4% of the fatalities.
- Economics of Transportation, 2024
- After controlling for crash characteristics, [they] estimate a 10 cm increase in the vehicle’s front-end height is associated with a 22% increase in fatality risk.
- After controlling for crash characteristics, [they] estimate a 10 cm increase in the vehicle’s front-end height is associated with a 22% increase in fatality risk.
- This helps feed the feeling of 'i better also be in a big vehicle, so I can be seen by other big vehicles/so I'm more 'protected' etc, increasing the amount of larger vehicles on the road. I don't think the move towards 'everyone needs to be in a tank to be safe/feel safe on the road' is a good one, personally.
- Regardless of that, the data speaks to how much more dangerous it is to be a smaller vehicle or pedestrian that's been hit by an SUV or light truck.
not surprised, we see people post in here daily about how bad driving has gotten since the pandemic.
The rise of weaver drivers post covid is a big concern as well
Since the shutdown everyone seems to think they're entitled to drive at triple digit speeds and anyone who slows them down is a legitimate target that the supreme court will grant them immunity for.
Roads are meant to be shared, ladies and gents - that means taking turns at stop signs, slowing down for pedestrians, and not tailgating cars the moment they come into the left lane to pass other traffic.
A lot of people, rightfully, pointing to driving as the cause of this. But we should not ignore how ridiculously unsafe vehicles have become because of their sheer size. Vehicles have become safer for the driver, but are much more dangerous for everyone else. Massive blind spots, high bumpers, and huge grills all create danger for others.
Additionally, there are sooooo many poorly designed roads in New Jersey and really the US. People so often overlook, or really just don’t understand, how much simple road design contributes to bad driving.
No clearly my driving like an absolute maniac only to get up to the next level of traffic or stop light is fine and can cause no harm.
Until it does.
We've had this convo before, but no one is interested in looking inward and considering how they might be contributing to the bad driving.
I believe the number is like 30% of all fatalities (and that number includes pedestrians and cyclists) has some form of intoxication involved. May not be legally drunk, but definitely has had a few.
Just two days ago I saw a woman backing into a car with drivers in it and driving away. It's unfortunately not once in a while bullshit.
Because there's zero enforcement. I drive 287 every day, and every single day I see at least one reckless driver who's weaving though lanes, or driving over 100, or passing on the shoulder. I don't think I've ever seen the State Police doing speed traps, ever, in 5+ years. And the parkway and turnpike is 5x worse.
Im terrified driving on 80… people are driving so ridiculous even if you want to drive safe they’ll tailgate you or do some reckless ish
And every time these idiots total their cars (it’s just a matter of time before it happens) ALL of our insurance premiums go up. Not to mention the added stress and safety risk for everyone else who’s obeying the laws.
If you don’t use a truck for work you shouldn’t be able to buy it. Doesn’t make sense otherwise.
Nissan Altima, chill the fuck out it’s Saturday
All infiniti 35/37 you’re not fast just drive normal
Trucks, put a blinker on idc if you’re gigantic
Young’ns with beamers, speed when there’s no one on the road not in heavy traffic at least
People need to learn how to merge again
I’ve lived in 3 other cities including NYC. New Jersey drives are by far the most reckless that I’ve ever experienced. I’ve come to the conclusion that Jersey drivers are horrible drivers because of need to drive. In NYC it’s not a necessity to drive, it’s also gridlock traffic so it’s hard to go faster than 25miles an hour.
I have been driving for over 20yrs and consider myself to be a very safe driver. I’ve lived in Essex county for 8months and have almost gotten into an accident twice. Both times because people have ran stop signs at full speed. One of them was so bad that I had to hit my breaks so hard that all my groceries went flying. The other driver looked at me and shrugged. I was fking livid!
When I took my car to the mechanic he told me my breaks needed to be replaced.
I kind of came to this conclusion as well. Lived in NYC, Dallas and San Diego. I now regularly commute to Philly and North Jersey/NYC. Philly is pretty bad like 20 min outside the city but it’s just straight up insane on the parkway
Yeah I had a kid try to run a stop sign and almost t-bone me. I pointed at the stop sign and he just stared at me angrily
Its people trying to drive vs people who dont know how to drive. The amount of times I see a sluggish person slowing down the left lane and then see them on their phones.
That drives me insane! Like get out of the way.
If only we encouraged people (who can) to work from home instead of commuting 5 days a week. Would greatly reduce the number of cars and thus accidents
I've been traveling NJ roads (and NY/PA) for the last 21 years, driving 20k+ miles/yr. 30k+ for the last 12. And it has NOTICEABLY gotten worse over the last 2-3 years. I'll blame it on transplants from out of state (that's an NJ thing to do right). But ever since 2021 it's been getting noticeably worse, both in volume of 'offenders' as well as frequency if occurrences. I'm not a "road rager" but I've found myself this year alone significantly impacted by people complete unattwntiveness, 55mph in the fast lane on rt 78 or 287 (usually NY or PA tags, sorry guys), sweeping across 4 lanes of traffic at 55mph to make an exit (turn off Swifty and pay attention to the road you worthless lump).
It's everywhere too, out in farm country where I live (hunterdon county), in Passaic and Bergen, down in Monmouth (this year has been absolutely horrid, never-mind the parking situation).
It's an equation of more people on the already congested roads, worse driving, cell phones, and tourism (more people driving than flying, etc and staying local to the jersey shore, or lakes/mountains).
I'm absolutely stroopwafled at what stupendous morons are on the road. I also very much enjoy seeing their crashed and banged up "newer cars". Money can buy you a nice car, but it can't better your driving, peasants....
There’s driving before Covid and after Covid
The GSP north of Toms River (especially north of the bridge) is extremely unsafe in both directions. Very unenjoyable. Accidents daily. It was never like this growing up in NJ. Also, it seems like the population has doubled :/
People just don't give a shit about others anymore. The other day I was riding a bicycle, and needed to make a left turn. The road was clear, so I moved into the turning lane. As I was maybe three or four car lengths from the light, 2 drivers passed me in the center lane (straight lane) and turned left. They both couldn't be bothered to wait behind me for 10 seconds. If someone was coming the in the opposite direction and made a right, they would have slammed into them.
So what we need to do, yeah, is anyone who refers to other drivers as NPCs? Those arrogant bastards are the problem. Bully them relentlessly, because they're the pricks weaving through traffic, blasting through crosswalks, and acting like they're the main character of a GTA title.
Towns need to design their roads better and implement traffic calming solutions.
Over the years have changed my opinion on speeding cameras and think we really need them everywhere. They don't hit you with points, but get enough of those financial hits and it changes your behavior. Case in point: I am in North NJ by NYC, and I work in NYC. I would regularly drive into the city when I had later evening events so I could get home quickly at 9/10pm. But I also found myself speeding and catching those annoying tickets via the speeding camera. Now I slow down or take my motorcycle (which I tend to never speed in, as I get very aware of all the nuts on the road and make sure my riding is 100% defensive and non aggressive).
Illegal license plates, dark-as-night plate covers, tinted windows all around, people on their phones while driving, legal weed with no way to monitor acute intoxication, little to no enforcement of traffic rules and a general sense of entitlement...not surprising traffic deaths are on the rise. I left NJ in 1990, moved back in 2015 and can't believe the difference, especially since Covid/BLM riots. It's like a different planet.
If only there are law enforcement organizations that actually enforce traffic laws to crack down on reckless behavior.
there was a terrible crash on the parkway north (south amboy/sayreville) point of the bridge at like 6:30pm yesterday. the cars were both facing east, one of the left lane and one on the right lane with the middle lane open. obviously the two cars were completely totaled. i couldn’t even calculate how that accident could’ve occurred with how the position of their cars landed.
stay safe everyone, its insane out there
I'd say on roads like the parkway they could install speed cameras at different points (in counties that have the most accidents if that's something that trends) and see if that has an effect on things.
I’m a doctor and moved to central Jersey for work. I’ve never seen such horrible traumas from car accidents at my other jobs (I worked in NYC previously). Some of these happened in the middle of the day in broad daylight. People flying through stop signs, cars flipping, so many patients brain dead on arrival. I became terribly of being on the road after that job. And also had to move away from the area, I couldn’t believe this problem is discussed more
So many drivers are not only not courteous, but they also purposely block other drivers. Creating "ROAD RAGE" drivers cut others off, and brake check them. Many drivers in NJ are foreigners that did not learn to drive here. Look at YouTube vids of hazardous driving and most are from other countries.
Another thing to aggravate drivers is the traffic patterns were changed by these traffic safety engineers, that bottle neck traffic to one lane. The Asbury Park Circle is in my opinion a perfect example. Then you only need an A$$hole that slows or stops that traffic. Or put a traffic light where before there was a stop sign, or a stop sign in place of a yield sign.
Thanks to the influx of people moving in
I see you were downvoted. But this makes sense. We're building crazy fast in some parts of the state. More people on already crowded roads definitely ups the risk of accidents, people not paying attention, and road rage incidents.
More shit down a drain that's already full has a higher chance of clogging the pipe.
Maybe all the assholes will hit each other and let Darwin sort the rest out?
I've just decided to drive slowly and weave (by slow I mean 5mph over the limit).
That's because people in this state don't know how to drive. They either drive the left lane doing 30mph or the right lane doing 90. And to all you idiots driving the left lane, that's for PASSING ONLY!!!
Is the driving actually getting worse, or are the cars just more disposable than they used to be?
It's so bad around here during the school months. We had 2 different people dodge the bus stop light as kids were getting on the bus (im a parent of one of said kids), then a few months later a kid got their foot ran over by a person going around the bus like tf is wrong with people
I live more south and the mixtures of everyone coming down the shore really cooks up a storm of horrible drivers. My family was heading down to cape may zoo around Memorial Day and expected traffic to be bad. It wasn’t horrible but where it drops to two lanes on the parkway someone thought racing inbetween my family’s car and another right in the middle of us. We all were going above the speed limit.I’ve never seen something like that and am very grateful they didn’t end up running into us considering my whole family and me being 9months pregnant was in the car.
I am seeing so many people running lights. Not even close, I mean very red and just not giving a fuck. I'm in Ocean County though so lot of NY vans to watch out for.
What other purpose do the black-on-black cop cars serve? Like I thought those were to hide in traffic to pull people over for doing dumb shit?
Omg you guys should come to Florida, its horrible and our car insurance is very high, they drive like they dont care about themselves or others, i am getting out of here, i put my house up and coming bk up NJ.
Don’t become florida. We had 3693 deaths from motor vehicle accidents in 2022! Another reason I’m considering moving to Jersey!
Well, Florida is also bigger in size and population.
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Sure, but raw numbers don't help unless you compare state to state.
Like COVID deaths. Plenty here compared raw death nunber rather than looking at it from a rate per population.
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Oh I like this question but I don’t know if we have one. Maybe 202 or 206? But there’s a lot of the Northern part of the state I haven’t driven through. Route 70 east to west?
I wonder of the traffic deaths caused, how many of those drivers at fault are not native to NJ. I am noticing a lot more reckless driving happening on main streets to the point where I am afraid to drive cause I don’t want to get hit.
Shocking? ... NOT!
Legalize weed, while defunding & vilifying the police, & what do you expect? More impaired drivers (on what were already some of the most congested roadways in America), with fewer law enforcement personnel to interdict those operating "DUI" was a recipe for disaster in the making.
Maybe they should have really thought this one through before advancing such a radical agenda???
Every “life saving” safety feature that is added to new vehicles is completely negated by the increasing size of the infotainment screen.
Remove the handheld and fixed screens and watch the traffic deaths drop. It’ll never happen though…..
It’s no surprise insurance rates go up.
I keep encountering people driving NJ highways like they are in a video game. Racing each other or just weaving through traffic. Speeding through crosswalks on surface streets. I rarely see police doing things about it even when there are clearly things to be done.