The 10 deadliest stretches of road in New Jersey, according to new report

Over the course of three years, nearly 1,600 crashes on New Jersey's roads resulted in at least one fatality.

Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, MoneyGeek has come up with a list of the deadliest stretches of road in the Garden State from 2018 through 2020, ranked by their count of fatal crashes.

A couple of highways appear on the top-10 list more than once.

According to MoneyGeek, more than 40% of New Jersey's fatal accidents between 2018 and 2020 involved speeding or drunk driving. Distracted driving contributed to 20% of the state's fatal crashes over that three-year period.

"Those are crashes, those are not accidents," said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, reacting to the report. "We also need to keep in mind, when some of our roadways were designed, they were not designed for the types of vehicles and the speeds that we have today."

Below is MoneyGeek's list of the 10 deadliest stretches of road in New Jersey. The green dots indicate the location of the fatal crashes; some of the crashes occurred in the same locations/intersections.

Close to 800 roads in New Jersey were considered for the study.

10.

• 3.4 miles of road
• 7 fatal accidents, resulting in 7 fatalities

Responding to New Jersey 101.5's request for comment, the New Jersey Department of Transportation noted that a project in the works is meant to improve safety for all modes of transportation along this stretch.

Proposed improvements include reducing the roadway from four lanes, to two travel lanes with a center left-turn lane and bicycle lanes.

9.

• 4.1 miles of road
• 7 fatal accidents, resulting in 8 fatalities

8.

• 4.9 miles of road
• 7 fatal accidents, resulting in 8 fatalities

7.

• 3.3 miles of road
• 8 fatal accidents, resulting in 8 fatalities

6.

• 3.4 miles of road
• 8 fatal accidents, resulting in 9 fatalities

5.

• 2.9 miles of road
• 9 fatal accidents, resulting in 10 fatalities

The Department of Transportation said it has two projects aimed at improving Route 21. One will resurface a portion of the highway, and the other will include upgraded traffic signals and sidewalks.

4.

• 4.1 miles of road
• 10 fatal accidents, resulting in 10 fatalities

3.

• 4.2 miles of road
• 10 fatal accidents, resulting in 11 fatalities

2.

• 4.6 miles of road
• 10 fatal accidents, resulting in 12 fatalities

1.

• 3.9 miles of road
• 11 fatal accidents, result in 11 fatalities

Steve Schapiro, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, said DOT is committed to finding innovative solutions to enhance safety for all road users.

"We examine crash data on a regular basis to look for areas where pedestrian safety improvements may be needed, and we work with our engineers and designers to incorporate these improvements into ongoing projects," Schapiro added. "Those safety features may include the installation of pedestrian signal heads, and improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks."

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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