Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in New Jersey in 2021

State in United States

Deaths, 2021
692
Fatal crashes
662
Population
9.3M

In 2021, 692 people died in 662 fatal crashes in New Jersey. That was 18.1% more than in 2020 (586) and the most since 2007. The death rate was 7.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. New Jersey had the 22nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 46th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 30% of deaths, and 26% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

7.5

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021

  • About 55 percent of the rate in the United States: 13.0

+18%

change in deaths from 2020 to 2021

586 deaths in 2020, 692 in 2021

  • The United States: +11%

Profile by year: 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020

Road users

Who died

30%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About 1.8 times the share in the United States: 17%
Who died in 2021
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 360
Pedestrians 211
Motorcyclists 98
Cyclists 23
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Deaths by type, 2021
Type Deaths Share in New Jersey Share in the US
Pedestrians 211 30% 17%
Motorcyclists 98 14% 14%
Cyclists 23 3% 2%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 175 25% 31%
Speeding-related crashes 187 27% 29%

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

26%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 28%

23%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 90 percent of the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2021
Category New Jersey United States
Speeding-related 23.4% 26.3%
Alcohol-involved 25.5% 28.2%
At night 54.7% 53.9%
At weekends 35.3% 32.8%

Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.

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Timing

When crashes happen

55%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 54%

35%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 32
1am 14
2am 25
3am 23
4am 18
5am 21
6am 19
7am 20
8am 18
9am 19
10am 14
11am 20
12pm 33
1pm 33
2pm 30
3pm 37
4pm 32
5pm 25
6pm 29
7pm 44
8pm 37
9pm 53
10pm 39
11pm 27

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 113
Mon 73
Tue 83
Wed 97
Thu 85
Fri 90
Sat 121

All crashes 2021.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 47
Feb 25
Mar 53
Apr 41
May 45
Jun 61
Jul 62
Aug 62
Sep 63
Oct 80
Nov 66
Dec 57

All crashes 2021.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 559
Rain 55
Cloudy 41
Fog, Smog, Smoke 3
Snow 2
Freezing Rain or Drizzle 1

All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 287
Dark - Lighted 161
Dark - Not Lighted 129
Dark - Unknown Lighting 54
Dawn 15
Dusk 15

All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2021

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. US-120
  2. I-29519
  3. US-13016
  4. US-912
  5. SR-3512
  6. I-9511
  7. I-7811
  8. US-3011
  9. US-4611
  10. US-4010

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 424
SUVs 212
Motorcycles 98
Medium and heavy trucks 89
Pickup trucks 68
Vans 49
Other vehicles 25
Buses 5
Other light trucks 2

All crashes 2021.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Honda Civic37
  2. Honda Accord33
  3. Toyota Camry24
  4. Nissan Altima21
  5. Honda CR-V16
  6. Jeep Grand Cherokee16
  7. Toyota Corolla15
  8. Toyota Sienna15
  9. Ford F-15014
  10. Ford Explorer12

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 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Dec 31, 2021 Paterson, Passaic County 1
Dec 30, 2021 Lakewood, Ocean County 1
Dec 30, 2021 Cumberland County 1
Dec 30, 2021 Winslow, Camden County 1
Dec 29, 2021 Newark, Essex County 1
Dec 28, 2021 Newark, Essex County 1
Dec 28, 2021 Toms River, Ocean County 1
Dec 27, 2021 Wayne, Passaic County 1
Dec 27, 2021 Knowlton, Warren County 2
Dec 26, 2021 Hamilton, Atlantic County 3
Dec 25, 2021 Gloucester County 1
Dec 25, 2021 Mantua, Gloucester County 1
Dec 24, 2021 Pleasantville, Atlantic County 1
Dec 24, 2021 Woodbridge, Middlesex County 1
Dec 23, 2021 Morris County 1
Dec 23, 2021 Collingswood, Camden County 1
Dec 23, 2021 Millville, Cumberland County 1
Dec 22, 2021 Trenton, Mercer County 1
Dec 22, 2021 Clayton, Gloucester County 1
Dec 22, 2021 Montclair, Essex County 1
Dec 21, 2021 Kearny, Hudson County 1
Dec 21, 2021 West Hampton, Union County 1
Dec 21, 2021 Mercer County 1
Dec 20, 2021 Warren, Somerset County 1
Dec 19, 2021 Kearny, Hudson County 1

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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2021. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.