Hundreds of people died on New Jersey roads in 2024, making it the deadliest year for pedestrians in more than 30 years.
Last year, an astonishing 221 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents across the Garden State, most of them in Essex County. State police data shows.
The number of deaths is 29% higher than in 2023, the highest since 1988, when 239 pedestrians were killed.
Traffic-related deaths across New Jersey also skyrocketed in 2024, with at least 687 people losing their lives on Jersey roads. This represents a 13.4% jump compared to 2023, when the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents decreased by 76.
According to the data, 359 of those killed in 2024 were drivers and 82 were classified as passengers. The remaining 25 people were on bicycles.
The tragic death toll in 2024 is just two short of the number of deaths in 2022, which at the time was the highest death toll in 15 years.
In 2023, that number decreased; Newly released data show The number of drivers testing positive for alcohol, marijuana and other drugs has increased sharply.
Data shows that 2025 has already seen two fatalities in two accidents, making for a tough start to the new year. One person is classified as a driver and the other as a pedestrian.
