2015 Fatal Crashes on New Jersey Roadways

Initial reports indicate that fatal crashes on New Jersey’s major roadways decreased slightly in 2015 as compared to previous years. The breakdown of who was killed in these motor vehicle accidents, and where they occurred, may surprise some readers.

While we were lucky enough to keep the short sleeves on through December, the winter weather has certainly arrived this week. With the return of the brutal cold, the icy and snowy roadways aren’t far behind; which unfortunately means weather-related crashes will be on the rise as well. Along those lines, we just wanted to share some information from the New Jersey State Police regarding fatal motor vehicle accidents that occurred in 2015.

Please follow the links on this page from the New Jersey State Police for the full lists of statistics, but below are some key numbers that stood out. Note these numbers are preliminary and only account for those crashes reported to the State Police.

  • The total number of fatal crashes in 2015: 50
  • The total number of fatalities from these crashes in 2015: 548
  • Of these 548 fatalities, 275 were drivers, 92 passengers, 18 pedal cyclists and 163 (or 30%) were pedestrians.
  • The county with the most reported fatalities was Burlington with 48, while Union County suffered 28 accident-related deaths.

Of course we have many pedestrians here in Elizabeth, so the fact that this group accounted for 30% of all fatalities in 2015 is a bit of a wake-up call. Studies have shown that pedestrian accident rates increase as distracted driving frequency increases, so drivers please take it slow and remember to put down the cellphone.

 

New Jersey and New York Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys

We give personal attention to all of our clients. If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call Mintz & Geftic today at 908-352-2323 or send us email by clicking here to evaluate your case.

Our car accident injury attorneys serve clients throughout New Jersey and New York, including the cities of Newark, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Hackensack, and Morris, Bergen, Hudson, Union and Middlesex counties. We have offices in Elizabeth, New Jersey and New York City.