traffic deaths - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.

Posted on February 18, 2016 February 17, 2016

2015 saw largest increase in traffic deaths in 50 years

file photo by Boyd Loving

BY JOAN LOWY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The number of traffic deaths in the United States rose 8 percent from 2014 to 2015, the largest year-to-year percentage increase in a half-century, according to preliminary estimates Wednesday by the National Safety Council.

About 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads, and 4.4 million people were seriously injured, the council said. That would make 2015 the deadliest driving year since 2008.

The council said a stronger economy and lower unemployment rates were probably among the key factors, along with lower gas prices. With driving more affordable, more people are on the road. Average gas prices were 28 percent lower last year than in 2014 and are projected to continue dropping this year.

The Transportation Department estimates a 3.5 percent increase in the number of miles driven by motorists in the United States in 2015.

The council’s estimates correspond with one from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which also found an 8 percent increase in fatalities for the first half of 2015.

Among the biggest increases last year were in Oregon (27 percent), Georgia (22 percent), Florida (18 percent) and South Carolina (16 percent). Only 13 states showed improvement, including New Mexico (a 20 percent drop), Kansas (down 7 percent) and New Jersey (lower by 2 percent).

The estimated cost of motor-vehicle deaths, injuries and property damage in 2015 was $412.1 billion, according to the council, a nonprofit organization created by Congress to promote safety. That total includes wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, employer costs and property damage.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/2015-saw-largest-increase-in-traffic-deaths-in-50-years-1.1513235

Posted on January 14, 2016 January 14, 2016

Bicycle fatalities in N.J. defy overall drop in traffic deaths

file photo by Boyd Loving

JANUARY 13, 2016, 11:02 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016, 7:30 AM
BY JOHN CICHOWSKI
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD

New Jersey road deaths fell a bit less than 1 percent to 554 last year — a near record low — but those who rely on bicycles or let others drive for them won’t find much comfort in year-end fatality figures for 2015.

Cycling deaths ballooned 64 percent to 18 last year, the most since 2008, and passenger fatalities rose to 95, almost a 19 percent rise, according to preliminary New Jersey State Police figures. On a more positive note, motorcycle deaths dropped to a record low 49 and pedestrian fatalities fell to 163, but that figure remained well in excess of the previous 10-year average of 152.

“We’re pleased, but we think we can do even better,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

States like New Jersey and New York, where overall road fatalities have declined substantially since the 1980s, have been struggling to extend these safety benefits beyond drivers to walkers and cyclists, whose combined death counts have remained stubbornly high. Garden State totals showed 172 pedestrians and cyclists were killed in 2005 compared with 81 in 2014, a 5 percent increase. During the same period, all traffic deaths declined more than 25 percent — from 748 in 2005 to 556 in 2014.

This week, the Legislature sent a bill to Governor Christie that would focus on these mostly preventable incidents — the kind that killed 1,517 people on foot and 143 people on bicycles from 2005 to 2014. The legislation, which unanimously passed both houses, would create a 15-member commission to recommend strategies for making improvements in road design, laws and behavior that traditionally favor vehicles over people, said Cindy Steiner of Montclair, executive director of the New Jersey Bicycle and Walking Coalition.

“More people are walking and riding bicycles than ever,” said Steiner, whose group supports the bill — A-3888 in the Assembly and S-2521 in the Senate. “But for the first time, this commission would put all the parties together who have a stake in the problem — from bicyclists and drivers to police, motor-vehicle executives, transportation officials and even the health commissioner.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/road-warrior-bicycle-fatalities-in-n-j-defy-overall-drop-in-traffic-deaths-1.1490848

Posted on January 14, 2015 January 20, 2019

Road Warrior: 2014 safer on the road but deadlier on foot

file photo by Boyd Loving

Road Warrior: 2014 safer on the road but deadlier on foot

JANUARY 12, 2015, 9:37 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015, 8:40 AM
BY JOHN CICHOWSKI
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD

Despite all the potholes, unlit roadways and cellphone abuse that made driving a sour experience for many New Jerseyans last year, 2014 offered at least one sweet conclusion: The death count for drivers and passengers fell to its lowest level in several decades — 380 fatalities, according to preliminary state police figures. Even bicycling deaths dipped at bit to 13.

But for those traveling New Jersey roadways on foot, 2014 marked the deadliest time in 18 years. Crashes killed 172 pedestrians last year, a figure that exceeded the previous year’s pedestrian tally by more than 30 percent and accounted for more than 30 percent of all the road deaths recorded in 2014.

file photo Boyd Loving

The most hazardous county by far was Bergen with 24 pedestrian fatalities, including an on-duty special police officer killed two days after Christmas in Cliffside Park — the second fatal crash to take an officer’s life in the county last year. The county’s pedestrian death count was so large that it doubled its driver death count, a highly unusual occurrence. Walking deaths were even greater than the combined pedestrian death counts in Camden (the second-deadliest county at 18) and Passaic (five).

New Jersey’s pedestrian figure was high enough to make the state’s traffic safety chief shake his head with worry.

file photo Boyd Loving

“Very discouraging — the worst year since 1996,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the state attorney general’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “The numbers are much too high … something we’ll have to address as soon as possible.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/road-warrior-2014-safer-on-the-road-but-deadlier-on-foot-1.1191509?page=all