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Trenton
– Do you buckle-up every ride? Do you
talk on your cell phone or send a text message
when you’re behind the wheel? Do you
drive faster than the posted speed limit?
Did you know that 85 percent of traffic crashes
are caused by these types of dangerous driving
behaviors?
On
October 10, the New Jersey Division of Highway
Traffic Safety is challenging all motorists
to participate in “Put the Brakes on
Fatalities Day,” a national initiative
designed to bring to the forefront driving
behaviors that can result in tragedies on
the road.
Last
year in New Jersey, 591 individuals lost their
lives in motor vehicle-related crashes. This
number represents a 19 percent decline from
the previous year, and also marks the lowest
number of recorded motor vehicle deaths in
the State since 1948.
“Clearly,
this effort will go a long way in our continuing
efforts to move toward zero fatalities on
our roadways,” said Pam Fischer, Director
of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.
“Shining the spotlight on this one day
can help create a groundswell of support for
safe driving practices that can carry over
throughout the year and help us continue to
see a decrease in the number of lives senselessly
lost in motor vehicle-related crashes.”
According
to a 2009 Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMinds
Poll of driving behavior, the number of New
Jersey motorists who have admitted to sending
a text message while behind the wheel increased
40 percent over last year. In addition, the
poll found that motorists who text are also
more likely to use a hand-held cell phone
and drive over the posted speed limit. Eighty-four
percent of New Jersey drivers said they drive
over 65 miles per hour “at least once
in a while,” while 1 in 4 motorists
said that they do so “most of the time.”
Driving at unsafe speeds was a factor in more
than 22,000 crashes in New Jersey last year,
a number that has been on the rise since 2001.
In
addition, while New Jersey’s front seat
belt usage rate increased for the 13th consecutive
year to 92.67 percent, only 32 percent of
adults and 53 percent of children and teens
between the ages of eight and 18 report wearing
a seat belt in the backseat. Unbuckled passengers
sitting in the rear of a vehicle risk hitting
the seat back in front of them, the dashboard,
the windshield or even another vehicle occupant
if a crash occurs, making them a “bullet”
in the event of a crash. An unbelted motor
vehicle occupant can also be ejected from
the vehicle, resulting in serious injury and
often death.
A
new web site, www.njbackseatbullets.com,
illustrates the dangers of riding unbuckled
in the back seat. The site contains information
on the lifesaving importance of always buckling
up, regardless of where you are riding in
the vehicle. The site also includes videos
that reinforce the potentially deadly consequences
unbelted backseat passengers face in the event
of a crash.
“Put
the Brakes on Fatalities Day is designed to
raise awareness about how each of us is responsible
for what happens on the road,” Fischer
said. “That means making a commitment
to always buckling up, slowing down, and hanging
up the phone when you get behind the wheel,
and having a designated driver if you plan
to drink alcohol. Making safety priority number
one will not only positively impact your own
safety, but the safety of everyone on the
road. On October 10, we’re asking all
motorists to take a personal inventory of
their behaviors and change those things that
are putting themselves and others at risk.”
To
help do this, motorists are encouraged to
visit the Division’s web site, www.njsaferoads.com,
click on the “Stop Aggressive
Driving” icon, and take the
38-question quiz.
“You
might be surprised by what you learn about
yourself,” added Fischer. “While
you might have good driving skills based on
many years on the road, that doesn’t
mean you’re a safe driver.”
Police
departments throughout New Jersey are asked
to report all traffic crashes, injuries and
fatalities that occur on October 10 to the
Division of Highway Traffic Safety, for posting
on the agency’s website. In addition,
municipalities that use variable message boards
are displaying traffic safety messages in
the days leading up to and on October 10.
Approximately 66 percent of the 496 police
agencies in the State, as well as the State
Police, reported crash data to the Division
following last year’s “Put the
Brakes on Fatalities Day.” A total of
1,065 crashes took place in New Jersey on
that day, resulting in 201 injuries and two
fatalities.
Law
enforcement agencies, community groups, local
government and highway safety organizations
can visit the Division’s web site, where
educational materials are available to help
publicize the effort. Additional information
on the program can also be found on www.brakesonfatalities.org.
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