States › New Jersey › Routes › State Route 21
State Route 21
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 39Deaths 40Counties 2Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
Between 2015 and 2024, FARS records 39 fatal crashes on State Route 21 in New Jersey, with 40 deaths.
That is 0.7% of the 5,797 fatal crashes in New Jersey over the same years. The ten-year crash count fell 22% from 50 in 2005–2014 to 39 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Essex County (29) and Passaic County (10).
25.6% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (New Jersey: 22.0%) and 23.1% had a speeding-related driver (23.0%); pedestrians were 42.5% and motorcyclists 12.5% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in New Jersey
| Measure | State Route 21 | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 39 | 5,797 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 40 | 6,150 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.7% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -22% | -1% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on SR-21 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County | 29 | 74% | 442 |
| 2 | Passaic County | 10 | 26% | 246 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on State Route 21 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the New Jersey share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 20 | 51% |
| Mile 10–15 | 11 | 28% |
| Mile 5–10 | 6 | 15% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 94.9% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in New Jersey
- US Route 1 171
- Interstate 95 161
- US Route 30 126
- US Route 9 124
- US Route 130 110
- Interstate 80 107
- Interstate 78 89
- Interstate 295 89
- State Route 27 78
- State Route 70 78
- US Route 40 76
- State Route 47 66
All routes and counties in New Jersey
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on State Route 21 in New Jersey?
39 fatal crashes with 40 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along State Route 21 had the most fatal crashes?
Essex County (29) and Passaic County (10).
What share of crashes on State Route 21 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.6% had a driver reported as drinking and 23.1% a speeding-related driver, against 22.0% and 23.0% for all fatal crashes in New Jersey.
When do fatal crashes happen on State Route 21?
74.4% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.