New Jersey 2022 Car Accident Statistics
Getting into a car accident in New Jersey is not something most people anticipate, but it happens at a high enough rate that it is most likely a question of when, not if, you will be involved in a motor vehicle collision. Safety organizations on the state and federal levels collect car accident data from year to year with the goal of improving road safety using the information obtained. Below is a summary of New Jersey’s crash facts for 2022.
New Jersey Car Accident Injury and Death Rates
According to the US Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Facts Sheet, in New Jersey, there were 701 car accident deaths reported in 2022. This represented 1.64 percent of the 42,795 traffic deaths reported nationwide in 2022. New Jersey had a small increase in the number of car accident deaths from 2021 to 2022 (0.3 percent).
The fatal crash rate in New Jersey in 2022 per 100 vehicle miles traveled was 0.93, down from 0.95 in 2021. The United States as a whole experienced a decrease of 0.9 percent in the number of fatal collisions in 2022 compared to 2021. This occurred despite Americans driving about 29.3 billion more miles in 2022.
New Jersey’s car accident injury statistics for 2022 have not yet been released. The most recent year that injury data is available from the New Jersey Department of Transportation is 2020. In 2020, there were a total of 42,791 injury crashes reported in New Jersey. The county with the highest number of injury accidents was Essex County, with 4,948 crashes.
Most Common Conditions for Fatal Car Accidents
A deadly car accident can take place under many different circumstances. There can be many reasons for a fatal collision, or no reason at all. Statistically, however, some crash causes are more common than others. Identifying these causes or crash conditions can help you avoid a fatal car accident in New Jersey. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified the following as the three top behavioral factors behind motor vehicle accident deaths:
- Speeding: exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions increases the risk of a deadly car accident. A driver who is speeding may not be able to notice a changing roadway condition or brake soon enough to avoid a crash. The severity of a crash increases with higher speeds.
- Alcohol impairment: intoxication by alcohol and/or drugs can negatively affect a driver’s judgment, decision-making, vehicle control, vision and physical abilities. This can make a deadly collision more likely. Drunk drivers often engage in reckless behaviors such as excessive speeding, racing, running red lights and wrong-way driving.
- Not using a seat belt: seat belt use saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Seat belts can keep vehicle occupants in the best possible positions to absorb impacts and avoid serious injury in a car accident. When used with an airbag, a seat belt becomes even more effective at preventing fatal car accident injuries.
The most common causes of New Jersey car accidents include distracted driving, drunk driving, drowsy driving, speeding, failing to yield the right-of-way, following too closely and violating traffic laws. While you cannot control the actions of the drivers around you, you can take steps to improve your own safety as a driver in New Jersey. This includes obeying traffic laws, paying attention to the road and never driving under the influence.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in New Jersey, contact the car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C. for help and legal advice.