PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Despite fewer drivers on the road because of COVID-19, authorities say more people were killed in New Jersey crashes last year than in 2019.
State Police statistics show 590 people died in crashes in 2020, up from 558 the year before — a 5.7% increase.
State Police Superintendent Pat Callahan pointed out that the increase came as the total number of crashes was down significantly.
“We were down from just over 45,000 down to 31,000 crashes in 2020, which is an indication that speed is generally the driving factor there,” Callahan told reporters on a Zoom call. “Compared to 2019, our speeding summonses over 90 MPH were up from 15% to 24%. That’s a pretty sizable increase. That’s a lot of motorists traveling in excess of 90 miles an hour.”
New Jersey’s experience mirrored a national trend.
Preliminary information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that for the first nine months of 2020, drivers were more likely to speed, not wear a seat belt and to be intoxicated than they were before the pandemic. Nationwide, traffic fatalities were up 4.6% between January and September.
In Pennsylvania, deaths investigated by the state police were down slightly last year — 473 versus 480 in 2019.
However, there were 15,621 fewer crashes than the state’s 2019 total of 82,116.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy took note of the rise in bad behavior behind the wheel.
“It turns out the open road is not necessarily our friend,” Murphy said.