COURT HOUSE – The death of a 63-year-old woman from Burlington County on Lafayette Street in Cape May was the fifth crash fatality in Cape May County this year.
So far, in 2022, two drivers, two pedestrians, and one bicyclist have died in the county as a result of crashes.
Cape May County is not alone in witnessing a potential annual increase in vehicle-related fatalities. Two recent reports have underscored a rising trend in traffic deaths.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that U.S. traffic deaths jumped by 10.5% in 2021, representing the highest total since 2005. According to that report, the nation saw an average of five traffic fatalities every hour in 2021.
A report from the Governors Highway Safety Administration followed, with a prediction that pedestrian fatalities, like the one recently in Cape May, will reach the highest level recorded in the last 40 years.
In New Jersey, year-to-date data from the State Police show crash fatalities up 17% this year over 2021. That follows a 2021 year in which such fatalities increased by 15% over 2020.
In 2020, Cape May County saw nine crash fatalities compared with 12 in 2021. In neither of those years was there as many as five at this point in the calendar. Crash fatalities in the county tend to cluster in the high population months from June to the end of September.
Studies suggest that the cause of the increase may be related to increasing speed and distracted driving. Another contributing factor often cited is roads designed for sharing with bicyclists, pedestrians, and low-speed vehicles.
In 2020, New Jersey adopted a Strategic Highway Safety Plan aimed at reducing fatalities and serious injuries on public roads.
