The number of fatal accidents tends to fluctuate significantly in each state from year to year. According to the National Safety Council’s most recent preliminary data, the same can be said for 2018. And while six states saw large increases in the number of traffic fatalities, the good news is that New Jersey was near the top of the list for the largest decrease in fatal traffic accidents last year. The Legal Definitions Data Team crunched the numbers for you.
Fatal Accidents on New Jersey Roads Decreased in 2018
According to the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts research, New Jersey saw an 11 percent decrease in traffic fatalities in 2018 compared to the previous year. In total, there were 565 traffic deaths on New Jersey highways in 2018. This is an improvement for the Garden State, as New Jersey saw a small increase in traffic deaths from 2016 to 2017. These figures represent a 7 percent drop in fatalities in 2018 compared to 2016.
The total number of traffic deaths is relatively low compared to the figures from other states. In fact, much smaller states like Missouri and Kansas had nearly double the fatalities as New Jersey. And New Jersey doesn’t even approach the worst states for traffic fatalities in 2018, which include:
- California: 3,651
- Texas: 3,597
- Florida: 3,325
- Georgia: 1,497
- North Carolina: 1,457
Motorcycle Fatalities
Motorcycle fatalities have increased in New Jersey for the second year in a row, despite the opposite being true nationally. In 2017, motorcycle accident fatalities increased by 15 percent from the previous year.
Other Statistics
Digging deeper in the statistics, New Jersey had the 24th most fatalities in 2018. This is positive given New Jersey is one of the larger states in the country. Only 14 percent of the fatal crashes in New Jersey occurred on rural roads, which puts the state at the third lowest nationally. Additionally, 44 percent of all victims in New Jersey fatal accidents were not wearing a seatbelt. That is the 22nd lowest percentage for any state.
All told, there were 40,000 traffic fatalities in the United States last year. In other words, only 1.4 percent of all U.S. fatalities occurred in New Jersey in 2018.
