NCJ Number
181941
Date Published
1999
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This report on fatal motor vehicle accidents in New Jersey in 1998 notes that the 671 fatal traffic accidents involved 741 fatalities and was the lowest total since recordkeeping began in 1968.
Abstract
The 741 fatalities represent a total below the average of 781 for the past 5 years. Alcohol testing of 579 fatalities in 1998 revealed that 159 or 27.4 percent tested positive for alcohol to some degree. A total of 10.7 percent of the drivers were legally intoxicated. Thirty-six fatal accidents involved motorcyclists. Pedal cyclists accounted for 19 fatal accidents. The pedestrian death toll was 156. Forty-one hit-and-run fatal accidents involved 66 vehicles, The victims included 7 drivers, 2 passengers, 32 pedestrians, and 3 pedal cyclists. Tractor-trailers were involved in 44 fatal accidents that resulted in 49 fatalities. The fatalities included 1 death for every 48.5 miles of open public roads in New Jersey. Straight roads were involved in 54.8 percent of all accidents. A total of 85.3 percent of the accidents occurred during clear weather conditions. A total of 66.9 percent of the known drivers were males. The fatality rate for the first 6 months of 1999 is 2.5 percent lower than for the same period in 1998. Figures and tables