Fatal Roads

States › New Jersey

NJ

State

New Jersey

Residents 9,500,851Deaths 2024 670Deaths 2015–2024 6,150Counties 21Routes with pages 37

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.

New Jersey recorded 670 deaths in 638 fatal crashes in 2024, the latest year in NHTSA's FARS, and 6,150 deaths over 2015–2024.

That is 6.7 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 43% lower than the national rate of 11.8. The ten-year total was about level between 2005–2014 (6,286) and 2015–2024 (6,150).

Relative to the national shares, pedestrians stands out most: 29.4% of people killed against 17.1% nationally. 11.0% of the state's fatal crashes were on rural roads and 51.3% happened after dark.

Among counties with at least 50 deaths in the ten years, the highest rates per 100,000 residents were in Salem County (22.6), Cumberland County (16.4) and Atlantic County (14.2).

670deaths in 2024638 fatal crashes
6.7per 100,000 residents a year, 2015–2024US 11.8
-2%ten-year change in deaths6,286 → 6,150
22%crashes with a drinking driverUS 26%

Trend since 1975

05811,162197519801985199019952000200520102015202020241975: 1,043 deaths1976: 1,029 deaths1977: 1,082 deaths1978: 1,124 deaths1979: 1,142 deaths1980: 1,120 deaths1981: 1,162 deaths1982: 1,061 deaths1983: 932 deaths1984: 922 deaths1985: 964 deaths1986: 1,039 deaths1987: 1,023 deaths1988: 1,051 deaths1989: 891 deaths1990: 886 deaths1991: 783 deaths1992: 763 deaths1993: 789 deaths1994: 761 deaths1995: 774 deaths1996: 814 deaths1997: 775 deaths1998: 741 deaths1999: 726 deaths2000: 731 deaths2001: 745 deaths2002: 771 deaths2003: 733 deaths2004: 723 deaths2005: 747 deaths2006: 771 deaths2007: 724 deaths2008: 590 deaths2009: 584 deaths2010: 556 deaths2011: 627 deaths2012: 589 deaths2013: 542 deaths2014: 556 deaths2015: 561 deaths2016: 602 deaths2017: 624 deaths2018: 563 deaths2019: 558 deaths2020: 586 deaths2021: 692 deaths2022: 689 deaths2023: 605 deaths2024: 670 deaths
People killed in crashes in New Jersey by year, 1975–2024. Latest point: 2024, 670 deaths.

Rate per 100,000 residents, 2000–2024

08152000200520102015202020242000: 8.72001: 8.82002: 92003: 8.52004: 8.42005: 8.62006: 8.92007: 8.32008: 6.82009: 6.72010: 6.32011: 7.12012: 6.72013: 6.12014: 6.32015: 6.32016: 6.82017: 72018: 6.32019: 6.32020: 6.32021: 7.52022: 7.42023: 6.52024: 7.1
Deaths per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and nationally, 2000–2024. Latest point: 2024, 7.1. this page United States

Year pages: 20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975

Compared with the nation

MeasureNew JerseyUnited States
Deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2015–20246.711.8
Deaths per 100,000 residents, 20247.111.5
Deaths, 2015–20246,150389,190
Deaths per fatal crash1.11.1
Change vs previous ten years-2%+7%
Share of the national toll1.6%100%

Factors

Alcoholcrashes with a driver reported as drinking22%
Speedingcrashes with a speeding-related driver23%
Pedestriansshare of people killed29.4%
Motorcyclistsshare of people killed13.3%
Unrestrainedoccupant deaths with no restraint used45.5%
In darknesscrashes after dark51.3%
Rural roadscrashes on rural roads11%

tick marks the US share. Bars are shares of fatal crashes (alcohol, speeding, darkness, rural) or of people killed (pedestrians, motorcyclists, unrestrained occupants) over the ten-year window.

Counties ranked by rate

Deaths per 100,000 residents a year over 2015–2024. Small counties on through routes can rank high on few deaths; the deaths column gives the scale. Counties with fewer than 10 fatal crashes in the ten years show no factor shares.

#CountyResidentsDeaths 2015–2024Per 100k / yrDeaths 2024AlcoholSpeeding
1Salem County65,87414522.61626%24%
2Cumberland County155,67825016.43035%27%
3Atlantic County279,11438514.25628%28%
4Gloucester County311,78336212.13221%26%
5Cape May County93,87511412.1929%20%
6Warren County112,03111911.01521%18%
7Burlington County475,5154459.74522%23%
8Camden County533,9884488.73718%22%
9Sussex County147,4441077.41221%18%
10Mercer County392,1382667.13622%26%
11Ocean County666,4344236.84421%18%
12Monmouth County647,5204136.54927%25%
13Middlesex County890,1195326.36024%26%
14Hunterdon County131,708755.9921%8%
15Somerset County357,4671965.81920%18%
16Essex County881,5274705.74716%22%
17Union County594,1603025.33823%30%
18Passaic County526,5972625.13325%22%
19Morris County523,0532344.62118%17%
20Bergen County978,6413683.94215%21%
21Hudson County736,1852343.42019%25%

Routes with the most fatal crashes

#RouteTypeFatal crashesDeathsAlcoholSpeeding
1US Route 1US highway17118832%30%
2Interstate 95Interstate16117719%14%
3US Route 30US highway12613316%21%
4US Route 9US highway12413516%20%
5US Route 130US highway11011620%26%
6Interstate 80Interstate10712120%8%
7Interstate 78Interstate899520%11%
8Interstate 295Interstate899324%24%
9State Route 27State highway788515%27%
10State Route 70State highway787915%13%
11US Route 40US highway767917%17%
12State Route 47State highway666929%20%
13US Route 322US highway656920%29%
14State Route 55State highway616731%30%
15US Route 46US highway596112%9%
16State Route 35State highway575918%14%
17Interstate 287Interstate576325%19%
18US Route 206US highway515520%31%
19State Route 33State highway505012%24%
20US Route 22US highway43477%16%
21State Route 73State highway414317%22%
22State Route 42State highway404225%23%
23State Route 21State highway394026%23%
24State Route 23State highway373914%22%
25State Route 38State highway36386%25%
26State Route 18State highway364036%36%
27Interstate 280Interstate353634%14%
28State Route 49State highway343721%18%
29State Route 31State highway303213%13%
30State Route 3State highway303827%23%

Signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024; 37 routes in New Jersey qualify. Local streets and county roads are not listed. Long routes carry more traffic and so more crashes; this is a count, not a rate.

Time of day and day of week

12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat

Fatal crashes in New Jersey by weekday and hour, 2015–2024: darker cells are busier. 5,794 crashes with a known hour and weekday.

By weekday

Saturday17%
Sunday16%
Friday15%
Thursday14%
Wednesday13%
Monday13%
Tuesday13%

Light condition

Daylight44%
Dark, lighted29%
Dark, not lighted18%
Dark, lighting unknown5%
Dusk3%
Dawn2%

Road type

Other principal arterial35%
Minor arterial22%
Local11%
Major collector11%
Interstate10%
Other freeways and expressways10%
Minor collector1%

FHWA functional classes (FARS FUNC_SYS), share of fatal crashes with a reported class; tick marks the national share. What the classes mean.

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in New Jersey in 2024?

670 people in 638 fatal crashes, per NHTSA's FARS annual file. Over 2015–2024 the total is 6,150.

How does New Jersey compare with the national rate?

6.7 deaths per 100,000 residents a year over 2015–2024, against 11.8 nationally; in 2024 alone, 7.1 against 11.5.

Which counties in New Jersey have the most fatal crashes?

By deaths over 2015–2024: Middlesex County (532), Essex County (470) and Camden County (448). The county table ranks by rate per 100,000 residents instead, which is a fairer comparison across sizes.

What share of fatal crashes in New Jersey involved alcohol or speeding?

22.0% of fatal crashes in 2015–2024 had a driver reported as drinking (US: 26.3%) and 23.0% had a speeding-related driver (US: 27.2%).

Which routes in New Jersey have the most fatal crashes?

US Route 1 (171 fatal crashes, 2015–2024), Interstate 95 (161 fatal crashes, 2015–2024) and US Route 30 (126 fatal crashes, 2015–2024). Route pages exist for signed routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in the ten years.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System annual files 1975–2024; US Census Bureau Population Estimates Program. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology, sources and corrections.