Most Dangerous NJ Counties For Pedestrians: See The List

NEW JERSEY - Where are pedestrians killed the most in motor vehicle crashes around the Garden State?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's fatality analysis reporting system, the highest number of fatal pedestrian crashes reported in 2017 to 2021 — the years for which the most recent data is available — were in Essex County with 106 deadly hits. Camden and Bergen counties followed suit with 94 and 79 fatal crashes, respectively. The Garden State reported a total 916 crashes during those five years.

Salem, Hunterdon and Sussex counties reported the least pedestrian crashes according to the data, with 5, 6 and 6 fatal crashes reported apiece, according to the NHTSA.

When adjusted for population, Atlantic, Camden and Cumberland counties reported the highest rates of fatal pedestrian crashes, with roughly .2 deadly hits for every 1,000 people. By contrast, Morris and Hunterdon reported .05 fatal hits for every 1,000 people; Sussex reported the lowest at .04 fatal hits per 1,000 people.

Another recent study conducted by personal injury law firm Laborde Earles found that Essex, Hudson, Union and Bergen were four of the 10 most dangerous counties in the nation for pedestrian deaths. Read more: Pedestrian Deaths: Hudson County Ranks In Top 10 Nationally

The issue of pedestrian deaths isn’t limited to the Garden State, either. According to a study published by High Rise Legal Funding, the number of pedestrian fatalities has risen 53.34 percent since 2012; New Jersey topped the list of states reporting fatalities, representing 30.3 percent of pedestrian deaths.

In 2022 alone, drivers struck and killed at least 7,508 pedestrians, the highest death count since 1981, according to figures from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

“Every day, 20 people go for a walk and do not return home. These are people living their daily lives – commuting to and from school and work, picking up groceries, walking the dog, getting some exercise – who died suddenly and violently,” GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins said in a statement. “The saddest part is that these crashes are preventable."

And if you feel like you've been reading a lot of news reports on pedestrian deaths lately, you're not imagining it.

Just this week, a 61-year-old woman from East Brunswick was killed in a pedestrian crash in the municipality. Another pedestrian died after a crash in Haddon Township on Sunday; yet another was killed (and a second pedestrian was injured) in a hit-and-run in Nutley Wednesday night.

There have been 30 fatal pedestrian crashes since Jan. 1, according to the New Jersey State Police, down from 71 reported this time last year and 80 reported this time in 2022.

Yet national advocates say there is still more to be done to reduce the risk of fatal injuries to pedestrians.

"We know what works – better-designed infrastructure, lower speeds, addressing risky driving behaviors that pose a danger to people walking," Adkins said. "We must do these things and more to reverse this awful trend and protect people on foot. Enough is enough.”