Car Accident Statistics in New Jersey
If you’ve been involved in an car accident, you know first-hand how heartbreaking the aftermath can be – especially if that car accident was the direct cause of a serious injury or tragic death. Although you may feel alone after experiencing a traumatizing vehicle collision, you are far from actually being alone. As these New Jersey car accident stats show, thousands of people are involved in serious crashes each year.
In fact, a Forbes article called New Jersey the home to the “second worst drivers” in the country based on an Allstate Insurance Company study that listed four New Jersey cities – Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth – among cities with the most car accident claims.
Car Accident Statistics in New Jersey
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) reports that in a recent year, there were 244,807 traffic accidents on public roads statewide. This represents a 3.4 percent increase over the number of reported accidents over the previous year, in which there were 236,760 traffic accidents. It is also the fourth consecutive year saw seen an increase in total crashes. However, total accidents are still substantially down from their high-water mark in 2018, when there were 278,413 reported incidents.
These are the top 10 counties in the state for traffic accidents:
| County | Crashes |
| Middlesex | 27,026 |
| Bergen | 25,178 |
| Essex | 23,380 |
| Union | 20,946 |
| Monmouth | 16,559 |
| Passaic | 16,239 |
| Hudson | 15,477 |
| Ocean | 14,919 |
| Camden | 12,152 |
| Morris | 10,936 |
Collectively, these ten counties accounted for nearly 76 percent of all collisions statewide.
How Common Are Left-Turn Car Accidents in New Jersey?
Left-turn car accidents tend to be particularly devastating, as the car making the turn must pass through oncoming traffic to do so. NJDOT tracks the prevalence of left-turn/U-turn accidents when compiling New Jersey car accident statistics, and it found that in the most recent year with available data, there were:
- 1,835 accidents on municipal roads, or 2.23 percent of all accidents
- 3,809 accidents on county roads, or 5.06 percent of all accidents
- 1,904 accidents on state roads, or 3 percent of all accidents
- 4 accidents on interstates, or just 0.03 percent of all accidents
How Common Are Speeding Accidents in NJ?
The New Jersey State Police reports that 51 fatal crashes occurred in the last reported year on the state’s interstate roadways such as I-95, I-80, New Jersey Turnpike, and Garden State Parkway. What were the leading causes of these car accidents? According to the New Jersey State Police reports, driver inattention and failure to yield right-of-away were the top causes.
Speeding is one of the most prevalent risk factors for severe collisions on New Jersey roadways. When coupled with different types of distractions, such as unsafe cell phone use, speeding is significantly more likely to result in a car accident. These car accidents frequently occur at New Jersey intersections, both signalized and unsignalized. The New Jersey State Police data indicates that 146 fatal crashes occurred at intersections.
Who Gets Into the Most Car Accidents?
Certain unsafe behaviors significantly increase the chance of being in a crash. Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of fatal car crashes, both nationally and here in New Jersey. Alcohol impairs judgment, blurs vision, and worsens reaction times – all factors that make it unsafe to drink and then get behind a wheel. Crash data from The New Jersey State Police Investigative Unit estimates that in the most recent year with available data, over a quarter of all traffic fatalities involved the consumption of alcohol to some extent prior to the crash.
Almost as dangerous is using a handheld cell phone while driving. Talking or texting combines all three types of driver distraction, as they take the user’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving. That’s also why talking or texting on a cellphone while driving is against the law in New Jersey. NJDOT reports that, in the most recent year with available data, 1,039 total accidents were attributed to a driver who was using a handheld cell phone. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, however, estimates that a quarter of all accidents involve a driver using a phone.
New Jersey Fatal Car Accident Statistics
The New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety reports that there were 647 fatal crashes in 2024, the most recent year with available data. These crashes resulted in 684 deaths and 386 injuries. Drivers accounted for 350 of these deaths, or 51 percent of total fatalities. Pedestrians accounted for 230 (34 percent), passengers for 86 (13 percent), and pedalcyclists the remaining 18 (3 percent).
Cellphone-Related Car Accident Statistics in New Jersey
There are many causes of car accidents in New Jersey, and cell phone use only adds to the problem. Because phones divert attention from the road, whether handheld or hands-free, using a cell phone in the car can become a fatal distraction. New Jersey saw a total of 1,391 car accidents due to cell phone use in a recent year, with 628 injuries and one fatality.
New Jersey does not allow drivers to use cell phones to talk on the phone or text. Handheld phones may be used only for emergencies, and the driver must keep a hand on the wheel at all times. However, even hands-free use can cause cognitive distraction, so this is still discouraged. Driving distracted while using a cell phone comes with penalties, fines, and even suspension of a driver’s license. More importantly, it can lead to severe injuries and even traffic deaths.
Our Experienced New Jersey Auto Accident Attorneys Can Help You
When someone is harmed by a careless driver or loses a loved one in a car accident, they have the right and the expectation to be fairly compensated for their losses. However, New Jersey car accident laws can be complex, and it can be difficult to deal with insurance adjusters. That’s why it’s important to contact an experienced and dedicated New Jersey car accident lawyer who can navigate your case through the legal process and its minefields.
Since 1981, the car accident lawyers and staff of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., have devoted their legal careers to helping people throughout New Jersey and New York who were injured as a result of the carelessness of others. We are ready to help you, too.
Call us today or complete our online form to schedule a free and confidential consultation right away. We can review your case by telephone, Zoom, Zoom, FaceTime or GoToMeeting. We also make house calls and hospital visits due to time being of the essence in establishing a claim. We do not charge attorney’s fees unless we are successful in your case.
This post was originally published on November 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness on February 2022.
