New Jersey pedestrian deaths hit 36-year high as overall traffic fatalities also surge

Hundreds were killed on New Jersey roads in 2024 — marking the deadliest year in more than three decades for pedestrians.A jaw-dropping 221 pedestrians were fatally struck in traffic collisions across the Garden State last year, with most concentrated in Essex County, state police data shows.The death toll is 29% higher than it was in 2023, and is the highest on record since 1988 — when 239 pedestrians were killed.Overall traffic-related deaths in New Jersey also jumped in 2024 — with at least 687 people losing their lives on Jersey roadways.

That accounts for a 13.4% spike over 2023, when 76 fewer fatal and nonfatal accidents occurred.Data also shows that 359 of those killed in 2024 were drivers and 82 were classified as passengers.Another 25 were cyclists.The tragic totals for 2024 fall just two deaths short of matching 2022 numbers, which marked a 15-year high for fatalities at the time.Though the numbers dipped in 2023, newly released data shows that there was a surge in drivers testing positive for alcohol, marijuana or other drugs.The new year is also off to a rough start, with two deaths in two separate accidents already in 2025, according to the data.

One is classified as a driver and the other as a pedestrian....