By Joe Hart, Chart developed from N.J. State Police fatal accident statistics.

SEA ISLE CITY –– Megan Ashley Perry was the third person to die in a motor vehicle accident in Cape May County so far this year.

Unfortunately, the phrase “so far” is accurate because there will almost certainly be more.

Perry, 25, of Wilmington, Del., was in town to serve as a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding. On her way home from a rehearsal dinner May 15, she was the passenger in a one-car accident at 5th Street and Landis Avenue in the north end of Sea Isle City.

The driver, Jayson W. Maykut, a 28-year-old also from Wilmington, received only minor injuries. He was charged in the accident with vehicular homicide as well as drunk and reckless driving.

Earlier this month, Patrick McAteer, 34, of West Chester, Pa., was killed in a fiery one-vehicle crash in Cape May and 20-year-old Kyle O’Driscoll, of Woodbine, lost his life on Jan. 18 when his vehicle struck a large pole at the North Cape May Gulf gas station at the intersection of Bayshore and Ferry roads.

With three fatalities, the numbers are down for the year (eight people had died by this time last year), but statistics show that more will come.

In Cape May County last year, 21 died in 18 crashes and in 2006 there were 15 fatalities in 14 accidents.

Statewide, 209 people have died in 199 motor vehicle accidents so far this year. In 2007, the totals were 724 fatalities in 674 accidents.

In an effort to keep fatalities down, the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety reminds drivers of the following safety tips:

• Always buckle your seat belt
• Maintain a safe following distance
• Avoid aggressive drivers and driving aggressively
• Always obey traffic signs and signals
• Never drink and drive

“The New Jersey State Police is committed in its effort, through enforcement and education of the motoring public, to reduce the number of people killed in motor vehicle accidents,” State Police Superintendent Col. Joseph R. Fuentes said last year.

“Our efforts in reducing motor vehicle deaths on our roadways must continue, as highway fatalities are still a leading cause of death in New Jersey and the nation.”

Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com