There’s a new report on roadway safety in New Jersey, and the numbers paint an unflattering picture for The Garden State. Unsafe road conditions and driver negligence continue to pose a substantial threat of fatality to innocent drivers.
A By-the-Numbers Analysis of New Jersey Car Crashes
TRIP is a national nonprofit organization, dedicated to transportation safety research since 1971. Operating out of Washington, D.C., they’ve taken a hard look at a wide range of New Jersey auto accident data from the last few years. Their results are compiled in a just-released report, entitled: New Jersey Transportation by the Numbers.
Here’s a look at just a few of those numbers:
$11.8 Billion — The total annual cost of New Jersey’s roadway deficiencies
$1,951 — The average per-driver cost of those deficiencies
589 — The average number of people killed in New Jersey car crashes
2,945 — People killed in New Jersey car crashes during the last five years
35% — Percentage of New Jersey’s major roads still in “poor condition”
Additionally, TRIP notes the following observations about auto accidents in New Jersey:
- Rural, non-Interstate roads in New Jersey have a much higher fatality rate than any of the state’s other roads.
- Traffic crashes cost New Jersey residents billions of dollars every year (a combination of lost household and workplace productivity, insurance costs, and related expenses).
- Poor roadway conditions play a significant role in accident causation, but vehicle defects and driver negligence continue to pose even greater danger.
Poor Road Conditions, Driver Negligence Remain Threats for NJ Traffic Fatality
TRIP’s report calls for congressional funding to help improve New Jersey’s roadways and reduce the state’s traffic fatality rate. Of course, even if those improvements are made, motorists will still face the even greater threats of vehicle defect and driver negligence.
We’re encouraged to see Washington paying attention to the issue of roadway safety in New Jersey, and we hope that improvements in our road conditions will ultimately translate to saved lives. In the meantime, if you or a loved one has suffered injury in a traffic collision, a New Jersey auto accident attorney at The Law Offices of James C. DeZao, P.A. can help. Let us know if you need guidance or answers.