Fatal crash profile · County
Traffic deaths in Union County, New Jersey
County in New Jersey · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 38
- Fatal crashes
- 34
- Population
- 598.7K
In 2024, 38 people died in 34 fatal crashes in Union County, New Jersey. That was 2.7% more than in 2023 (37) and the most in any year since 2020. The death rate was 6.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with 7.0 in New Jersey and 11.5 in the United States. Union County had the 8th most traffic deaths among New Jersey's counties. Between 2020 and 2024, 163 people died, an average of 33 a year. Pedestrians accounted for 32% of deaths, and 35% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
6.3
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About the same as the rate in New Jersey: 7.0
- About half the rate in the United States: 11.5
5.6
average deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2020–2024
- About 80 percent of the average in New Jersey: 6.9
- About half the average in the United States: 12.3
+3%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
37 deaths in 2023, 38 in 2024
- New Jersey: +11%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 30 | 29 |
| 2021 | 29 | 27 |
| 2022 | 29 | 29 |
| 2023 | 37 | 35 |
| 2024 | 38 | 34 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5.2 |
| 2021 | 5.1 |
| 2022 | 5.0 |
| 2023 | 6.3 |
| 2024 | 6.4 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
32%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About the same as the share in New Jersey: 31%
- About 1.8 times the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 15 |
| Pedestrians | 12 |
| Motorcyclists | 10 |
| Cyclists | 1 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Union County | Share in New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 12 | 32% | 31% |
| Motorcyclists | 10 | 26% | 17% |
| Cyclists | 1 | 3% | 4% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 10 | 26% | 22% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 13 | 34% | 23% |
Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.
Crash factors
Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes
35%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 1.6 times the share in New Jersey: 23%
- About 1.3 times the share in the United States: 28%
21%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in New Jersey: 21%
- About 85 percent of the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Union County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 20.6% | 20.5% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 35.3% | 22.6% | 28.1% |
| At night | 61.8% | 56.3% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 38.2% | 31.5% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
62%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About the same as the share in New Jersey: 56%
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 54%
38%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 1.2 times the share in New Jersey: 32%
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 3 |
| 1am | 5 |
| 2am | 7 |
| 3am | 11 |
| 4am | 6 |
| 5am | 2 |
| 6am | 11 |
| 7am | 6 |
| 8am | 3 |
| 9am | 8 |
| 10am | 4 |
| 11am | 3 |
| 12pm | 8 |
| 1pm | 3 |
| 2pm | 8 |
| 3pm | 4 |
| 4pm | 3 |
| 5pm | 8 |
| 6pm | 9 |
| 7pm | 14 |
| 8pm | 4 |
| 9pm | 6 |
| 10pm | 8 |
| 11pm | 10 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 23 |
| Mon | 20 |
| Tue | 23 |
| Wed | 19 |
| Thu | 19 |
| Fri | 21 |
| Sat | 29 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 17 |
| Feb | 9 |
| Mar | 10 |
| Apr | 7 |
| May | 7 |
| Jun | 17 |
| Jul | 11 |
| Aug | 9 |
| Sep | 13 |
| Oct | 20 |
| Nov | 15 |
| Dec | 19 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 127 |
| Rain | 15 |
| Cloudy | 9 |
| Snow | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 61 |
| Dark - Lighted | 53 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 16 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 11 |
| Dusk | 9 |
| Dawn | 3 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- US-119
- I-789
- SR-277
- US-1 SPRING ST5
- I-955
- US-225
- SR-284
- SR-27 ST GEORGES AVE3
- SR-822
- SR-27 NEWARK AVE2
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 91 |
| SUVs | 48 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 24 |
| Motorcycles | 23 |
| Pickup trucks | 18 |
| Vans | 13 |
| Other vehicles | 6 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Honda Civic12
- Nissan Altima7
- Freightliner Cascadia6
- Nissan Rogue6
- Honda Accord5
- Toyota Camry5
- Ford F-1504
- Jeep Grand Cherokee4
- Ford F-2503
- Honda CR-V3
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
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Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 2024 | — | I-78 | 2 |
| Jun 1, 2024 | Plainfield | CR-601 SEVENTH ST | 1 |
| May 31, 2024 | Elizabeth | TRUMBULL ST | 1 |
| Apr 25, 2024 | Roselle | CR-610 1ST AVE | 1 |
| Apr 21, 2024 | Plainfield | MU- EAST 3RD ST | 1 |
| Mar 20, 2024 | Linden | CR-617 NORTH WOOD AVE | 1 |
| Mar 8, 2024 | Plainfield | RICHMOND ST | 1 |
| Mar 7, 2024 | Union | US-22 | 1 |
| Jan 6, 2024 | Linden | SR-27 | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2023 | Clark | PFR-444 GARDEN STATE PARKWAY | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2023 | Scotch Plains | SR-22 | 1 |
| Dec 23, 2023 | Elizabeth | SR-27 NEWARK AVE | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2023 | Summit | CR-649 RIVER RD | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2023 | Linden | US-1 W EDGAR RD | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2023 | — | CR-625 CHESTNUT ST | 1 |
| Dec 10, 2023 | Elizabeth | US-1 SPRING ST | 2 |
| Dec 8, 2023 | Berkeley Hgts | CR-527 | 1 |
| Nov 25, 2023 | Linden | SR-27 | 1 |
| Nov 13, 2023 | Elizabeth | US-1 SPRING ST | 1 |
| Nov 9, 2023 | Springfield | NONE | 1 |
| Nov 7, 2023 | Hillside | CR-623 NORTH BROAD ST | 1 |
| Nov 7, 2023 | Elizabeth | SPRING ST | 1 |
| Oct 24, 2023 | Elizabeth | SR-27 NEWARK AVE | 1 |
| Oct 3, 2023 | Linden | CR-617 WOOD AVE | 1 |
| Oct 2, 2023 | Linden | SR-27 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Cities in Union County
| Area | Deaths, 2024 | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth | 12 | 8.5 |
| Linden | 8 | 17.5 |
| Plainfield | 6 | 10.5 |
| Union | 1 | 1.6 |
Nearby counties
Get updates for Union County, New Jersey
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.