Report to Legislature notes increased safety on NJ highways

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine credits aggressive enforcement of New Jersey's highway safety laws and stepped-up public education initiatives in reducing traffic fatalities, as noted in his annual highway traffic safety report to the state Legislature.

"Safety measures are the key to preventing fatalities and other serious injuries when accidents occur, and public awareness is necessary if these measures are to be utilized to their fullest advantage," said Governor Corzine. "We must continue to educate motorists and the general public and aggressively enforce the state's highway safety laws if we are to sustain this reduction in traffic deaths and injuries."

The "2008 New Jersey Highway Safety Annual Report" notes that highway deaths in New Jersey decreased from 771 in 2006 to 724 in 2007, and as of December 1, 2008, the number of reported fatalities was 541 compared to 667 during the same time in 2007. New Jersey's seat belt usage is currently 91.75 percent, an all-time high. This translates into 34,000 more New Jerseyan's wearing seat belts, one life saved, a reduction of 16 serious injuries, and an annual savings to the state of $3.5 million.

The report notes that the overall trend in the state has been a decrease in traffic-related fatalities, with growing use of seat belts, child safety seats, heightened public information and education, and increased enforcement contributing to the overall trend.

Significant enforcement efforts include:

• More than 2,000 drunken driving arrests were made by 333 police agencies throughout the state as a result of the "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" campaign, conducted from December 2007 to January 2008. This is up from 126 agencies and 441 arrests in 2006. Law enforcement agencies issued 4,407 seat belt citations, 298 summonses for failure to use a child restraint, and 12,316 speeding citations.
  
  
• A total of 385 individuals were arrested as a result of the "Cops in Shops" college and summer programs, where undercover officers work with retailers to deter the sale of alcohol to minors and adults purchasing alcohol for minors.
  
  
• Of the 497 police agencies in the state, 473 - or 95 percent - participated in the "Click it or Ticket" campaign to enforce seat belt use. Officers issued 46,026 seat belt citations, 1,007 child restraint citations, 6,831 speeding citations, and 642 drunken driving arrests.

The full report is available online at: http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/downloads/DHTS_Leg_Report_08.pdf

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