Counties with the most motor vehicle accident fatalities in New Jersey

Driving is a way of life for most Americans, and we're hitting the road more than ever. In 2024, people drove 3.28 trillion miles, an all-time high. However, the more people drive, the more opportunities there are for getting into a vehicle accident.

Nationwide, there were about 6.15 million police-reported traffic crashes in 2023, a small percentage of which resulted in fatalities. In 2023, there were 37,654 fatal crashes, resulting in 40,901 deaths. More simply put, that's 1.26 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

The number of accidents and fatalities has trended downward after a COVID-19 pandemic spike. Yet, the fatality rate is still relatively high compared to a decade earlier. In 2014, there were just 1.08 fatalities per 100 million miles, the lowest rate in the last 30 years.

Speeding, impaired driving, distractions, and not wearing seatbelts all contribute to unfortunate deaths. Day and time can also be a factor. More fatal crashes happen during the weekend, especially at night. The wee hours of Sunday morning, Saturday night, and Friday night are the three worst times of day for fatal crashes. Where you're driving can also be a factor in the likelihood of being involved in a crash.

Citing data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Stacker identified the counties in New Jersey that had the most fatalities from motor vehicle crashes in 2023, the latest year for which data was available. The number of accident fatalities is ranked by the number of deaths per 100,000 people, with the raw number functioning as a tiebreaker. The analysis only looked at counties with at least five deaths during 2023. Additional data is included on pedestrian, bicyclist, and drunk-driving-related deaths. In counties where at least five fatalities happened on the same street or interstate, the road with the most deaths is also included.

Read on to see the counties with the most fatal traffic accidents in New Jersey.

#20. Hudson County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 3.5 per 100K people (25 deaths)
- 12 pedestrian deaths
- 3 bicyclist deaths
- 6 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#19. Bergen County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 3.9 per 100K people (38 deaths)
- 14 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 14 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#18. Morris County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 4.2 per 100K people (22 deaths)
- 5 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 7 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: I-80 (5 fatalities)

#17. Passaic County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 4.8 per 100K people (25 deaths)
- 10 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#16. Monmouth County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 5.7 per 100K people (37 deaths)
- 13 pedestrian deaths
- 4 bicyclist deaths
- 9 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: US-9 (5 fatalities)

#15. Essex County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 6.1 per 100K people (53 deaths)
- 31 pedestrian deaths
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 7 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#14. Sussex County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 6.2 per 100K people (9 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#13. Somerset County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 6.2 per 100K people (22 deaths)
- 6 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 5 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#12. Union County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 6.4 per 100K people (37 deaths)
- 17 pedestrian deaths
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 10 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#11. Ocean County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 6.5 per 100K people (43 deaths)
- 10 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 11 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#10. Middlesex County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 6.7 per 100K people (59 deaths)
- 23 pedestrian deaths
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 11 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: US-1 (8 fatalities)

#9. Cape May County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 7.4 per 100K people (7 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#8. Mercer County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 7.5 per 100K people (29 deaths)
- 11 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 8 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#7. Burlington County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 7.7 per 100K people (36 deaths)
- 7 pedestrian deaths
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 6 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: SR-70 (5 fatalities)

#6. Camden County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 7.7 per 100K people (41 deaths)
- 18 pedestrian deaths
- 4 bicyclist deaths
- 8 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: US-30 WHITE HORSE PIKE (5 fatalities)

#5. Warren County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 9.9 per 100K people (11 deaths)
- 3 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 5 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#4. Gloucester County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 11.0 per 100K people (34 deaths)
- 6 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 9 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#3. Cumberland County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 14.3 per 100K people (22 deaths)
- 4 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 5 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

#2. Atlantic County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 14.4 per 100K people (40 deaths)
- 15 pedestrian deaths
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 12 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Road with most fatalities: US-40 (6 fatalities)

#1. Salem County, New Jersey
- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 18.3 per 100K people (12 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

This story features data reporting and writing by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.