The Most Dangerous Roads in Passaic County |
Posted: February 20, 2018 |
Driving in Passaic County can always be an experience to say the least. From the busy highways to the traffic filled roads it feels like there is a car accident on at least one of them every single day. Everyone who lives in New Jersey has their own opinion of what towns have the most dangerous roads to drive on which then leads to the question, what are the most dangerous roads to drive on in Passaic County? Overall, Passaic County may not be as dangerous and most people are apt to believe. In all of New Jersey there was a total of 602 fatal crashes with 635 total fatalities in 2017. In 2016 there were 570 fatal crashes with a total of 602 people that were killed. This continues an unfortunate trend of fatal accidents that is headed in the wrong direction, and with the increase of cell phone use by drivers it cannot be a surprise that distracted drivers are the number one cause for these types of incidents on the road. In fact, this has been the number one cause for fatal accidents in New Jersey for six years in a row and it does not seem to be slowing down yet at all. These total numbers of fatal accidents may not be shocking to everyone who hears them, but what may astonish them is just how many actually occur in Passaic County during what is considered the busiest time of year for cars to be out on the road. Statistics show that even though the fatality totals in the state may seem alarming that in the busiest season during the summer when the most cars are out on the road there were only four fatalities in Passaic County in all of 2016. Even more surprising is that this number would stay the same in 2017 when 4 more people died from car accidents in Passaic County. This busy season was measured during the same summer time frame during the holidays of Memorial Day through Labor Day, and these 4 deaths put Passaic County as the 18th overall most dangerous county to drive in during the summer months. This news may be relieving to those who drive frequently in this area at that time, but unfortunately the yearly totals for fatalities in Passaic County tell a different story. In total there were 19 total fatal accidents in Passaic County for the entire year in 2017. Out of those 19 fatalities 9 of them occurred on roads in Paterson City which is more than half. Two of those were on Route 80 East which made it one of two streets that had more than one fatal accident occur on it. This along with County 601 in both Clifton City and Paterson City both had more than one fatal accident making them the most dangerous roads statistically. This does not mean that they had the most amount of accidents in total on these specific roads, however it does detail which roads were indeed the most deadly during the last year. As scary as those numbers may be they were actually an improvement over the fatality numbers in Passaic County from 2016. That year there was a total of 22 fatalities with 7 once again occurring on roads in Paterson City. Interstate Route 80 East is once again on this list as two fatal accidents that occurred on it, yet in 2016 there were two fatal accidents on Route 80 West as well. Route 80 West did not account for any fatalities last year but it was responsible for two deaths back in 2016. For the most part it should be a relief that the total amount of fatal accidents in Passaic County seem to be on the down turn, yet the numbers are still too high for anyone to feel completely safe. Another road that has to be mentioned in this discussion of dangerous roads in Passaic County is the Garden State Parkway. From fender benders to multi-vehicle accidents the Garden State Parkway is no stranger to car accidents, and the ones that occur in Passaic County are no different. There were a total of 16,915 car accidents in Passaic County in 2016 with more than 4000 of them leading to injuries. Shockingly the Garden State Parkway does not come up when researching the stats for fatal accidents, especially considering just how many people drive their cars on the parkway each and every day. However, just because the accident is not fatal does not mean that it is not a dangerous road due to all the car accidents that occur on it regularly. Car accidents are an unfortunate part of life, but the fact that they occur so frequently does not make the process any easier for the victim or victims to handle the outcome. From damage to the vehicles, to property damage, and especially personal injuries there is no limit to the effect that a car accident may have on many people’s lives. Even in a world where technology is making vehicles with more safety features than ever there is still no way to take into account the simple fact of human error. It may be helpful to you and your loved ones to know which actual roads are deemed to be the most dangerous in Passaic County or any county for that matter, but if you find yourself getting into an accident on a road that was not on the list the fact that it was not considered to be one of the most dangerous will not help you out at all in the end. This is why it cannot be stressed enough to practice safety measures while driving at all times. Always wear your seatbelt, never assume that a person is not making a turn just because they do not have a turn signal on and most importantly always wait until you arrive at your destination before picking up your phone. That last part seems to be the issue that most people have trouble with nowadays, and unfortunately until more people realize the dangers that come with operating their cell phone while driving the numbers of car accidents that occur because of this will continue to stay on the rise. It is very possible that in the future we may not even have to deal with these types of issues with the advent of self-driving cars seemingly on the horizon, but until we get to that point it is up to the individual to take the responsibility of driving a vehicle as serious as they should and hopefully that is the route that all drivers will choose to take going forward.
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