According to recent statistics released by the New Jersey state police, there were fewer fatalities on New Jersey roadways in 2012 but there was a slight increase in pedestrian fatalities.
In 2012, there were 558 traffic fatalities which resulted in 592 deaths. Comparatively, in 2011, there 586 accidents that left 627 dead. On the other hand, the number of pedstrains killed slightly increased from 143 in 2011 to 165 in 2012.
According to the NJ.com article, “Drivers accounted for 316 of last year’s deaths, while 96 were passengers and 16 were cyclists. The greatest number of those killed were between the ages of 50 and 64. Middlesex County had the most deaths in the state, with 66, followed by Ocean County with 54 and Burlington County with 50.”
Interesting that the number of pedestrian related deaths is at an all time level. It seems like this can be attributed to both drivers and pedestrians being distracted by texting, phone calls, and social media and not paying as much attention as they should. Hopefully this can be remedied going forward.