2022 Traffic Deaths In NJ Reach Highest Number In 15 Years: NJSP Data

NEW JERSEY - 2022 has officially hit the highest number of traffic-related deaths in the state in 15 years, according to state data, though experts warn the New Year’s holiday may contribute to more before the year’s end.

698 individuals died in motor vehicle crashes in the state in 2022 as of Friday, according to New Jersey State Police year-to-date fatal crash statistics.

The number surpasses the 2021 death count of 696 (a .3 percent increase), which saw the highest number of people killed since 2007, which charted over 700 deaths.

In 2022, a total of 390 drivers were identified as victims of fatal crash accidents in the Garden State, compared to 101 passengers, 190 pedestrians and 17 bicyclists. 2022 did see decreases in bicyclist and pedestrian crashes compared with last year.

By county, Middlesex County saw the most fatalities with 65 deaths in 2022, as well as the most incidents with 62 crashes reported.

You can view the full breakdown by county here...

Traffic deaths in the state have been on the rise since 2020, which saw 587 deaths. In fact, an 18.6 percent change in fatal accidents was reported from 2020 to 2021 alone -- a statistic experts attribute partly to pandemic driving habits. Read more: Traffic Deaths In NJ Rose 20 Percent In 1 Year: Feds

In a 2022 study, the American Automobile Association (AAA) also found that those who drove more during the early pandemic months were more likely than average to report recent risky driving behaviors, such as driving without a seat belt or speeding.

“People’s brains are not perceiving information and processing emotion in the way that they did prior to the pandemic,” Dr. Kira Mauseth, a clinical psychologist at Seattle University, said in a news release from the American Psychological Association about pandemic driving. “People might be a little bit more impulsive, they’re a little bit less regulated, they might not be considering consequences.”

Analyses from the APA adds that those who reduced driving the most during the early pandemic months were disproportionately middle-age and female (a relatively safe driving demographic) compared to those who started driving more during this period, who were largely young and male: a population statistically more likely to engage in risky behavior, per the organization.

"During that time, people would go a lot faster. They would not observe some of the traffic signals as they used to," Passaic Police Deputy Chief Louis Gentile told CBS News earlier this year, citing pandemic driving habits. “We are creatures of habit, so when we get familiar with doing something, it takes a little while to readjust.”

Experts also note that New Year’s Eve incidents could see an additional uptick in deaths, as 2021 saw at least eight individuals die in crashes during the New Year’s festivities, NJ.com reported.

“Since we are up yet another fatality, I fear that we might just exceed last year’s record high with a few days in the year remaining and New Year’s Eve approaching,” Tracy Noble, AAA MidAtlantic spokeswoman, told the publication. “What is absolutely clear to AAA is that it will take new action to get us closer to zero traffic deaths.”

In order to curb additional deaths during the holiday season, the state Attorney General’s office has granted over $600,000 to 98 local police agencies to enhance patrols and sobriety checkpoints through Jan. 1.

Last year, participating Garden State agencies in the statewide campaign reported 604 impaired driving arrests, issued 1,253 seat belt citations statewide and wrote 4,671 speeding tickets.