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Trenton
– Division of Highway Traffic Safety
Director Pam Fischer today announced that
New Jersey drivers are being asked to join
a day-long, national effort on October 10,
designed to increase awareness about safe
driving practices, while also keeping the
state’s highway’s fatality-free.
Fischer explained that under the initiative,
known as “Put the Brakes on Fatalities
Day,” motorists across the nation
are being asked to slow down, buckle-up,
avoid distractions and follow all the rules
of the road, in an effort to achieve one
day without a fatal crash on the State’s
highways.
“Nationally,
118 people lose their lives in motor vehicle
crashes every day. That’s almost one
fatality every 12 minutes,” Fischer
said. “In New Jersey, 770 lives were
lost last year as a result of traffic fatalities,
an average of two deaths every day. This
one-day effort is designed to raise motorists’
awareness about the senseless tragedies
that occur everyday on our highways and
to make all of us more cognizant of our
own driving practices. We hope that by shining
the spotlight on this for one day, we’ll
create a groundswell that will carry through
the entire year.”
Police departments throughout New Jersey
are being asked to report all traffic crashes,
injuries, and fatalities that occur on October
10, to the Division of Highway Traffic Safety
by 10 a.m., Thursday, October 11. The Division
will then compile this data and report on
the initiative’s outcome.
On October 10, 2006, there were 928 crashes
on New Jersey highways, and two fatal crashes.
For the entire month of October, 2006, there
were 27,217 crashes. The previous year,
2005, saw 697 crashes on October 10, with
five fatal crashes, and a total of 28,341
crashes for the month. On the same day in
2004, there were 650 crashes on New Jersey
roadways, with two fatal crashes, and a
total of 27,990 crashes for the month.
Fischer noted that in order to get to and
from their destinations safely, drivers
should always buckle up, every ride, and
ensure that all passengers, especially children,
are properly restrained in a seat belt or
the appropriate child safety seat. She also
stressed the need to slow down in work zones
and adhere to all speed limits; avoid aggressive
driving and aggressive drivers; focus solely
on driving by avoiding distractions; be
aware of who you share the road with, including
motorcyclists, bicycles and pedestrians;
and never drink and drive.
“Following
these rules will ensure that everyone who
uses our roadways is kept safe and free
from harm,” Fischer said. “It’s
our hope that on this one day, motorists
will be even more mindful of being safe
on the roads and that this new awareness
will ensure everyone’s safety year-round.”
Additional information on “Put the
Brakes on Fatalities Day,” as well
as other highway safety programs, is available
on the Division’s web site at www.NJSafeRoads.com.
 Put
the Brakes on Fatalities Reporting Form
(pdf) plug-in
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