Stay Sober in New Jersey

Introduction

For Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., the quest to stop drunk driving in New Jersey is a personal one. One of our partners, Steven Benvenisti, was nearly killed by a drunk driver in college. His dedication to combating drunk driving through his work with MADD and his highly popular program, “The Most Significant Case of My Entire Career,” inspires us every day.

It's critical for New Jersey residents to see the scope of the impaired driving problem in our state. In hopes of raising awareness, we have compiled five years of the most recent open-source data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s FARS database.

Take a moment to review the disturbing data below. We hope it inspires you to sign our pledge and make your own commitment to prevent impaired driving in The Garden State. Feel free to share this resource widely. We can all do our part to save lives!

#StaySoberNJ

Fatal Alcohol-Related Collisions Heat Map

Just take a look at this heat map: Each red dot that you see represents a fatal impaired driving crash that occurred in New Jersey. As you can see, these crashes occur in virtually every area in our state. Consider this: Every red dot that you see on this map represents one life lost. These are all tragedies that could have been prevented.

Data Source: NHTSA FARS Database / //www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

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<span style="display:block; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; padding-bottom:10px; font-size:20px;">#StaySoberNJ - Drunk Driving Accidents Heatmap (2005-2013)</span><div id="njdataproject-iframe"><iframe src="//www.dsslaw.com/staysobernj/heatmap/" width="100%" height="600px">Your browser doesn't support iframes. Please click <a href="//www.dsslaw.com/staysobernj/heatmap/" target="_blank">here</a> to view the map.</iframe><div style="font-size:10px; font-style:italic; padding:0; text-align:right;" class="data-source">Data Source: <a href="//www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx" target="_blank">NHTSA FARS Database / //www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx</a></div><span style="display:block; text-align:center"><a href="//www.dsslaw.com/staysobernj/" target="_blank">View The #StaySoberNJ Open Data Drunk Driving Project on DSSLaw.com</a></span></div>

Data Source: NHTSA FARS Database / //www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

Drinking vs Drug Use

Any type of impaired driving is dangerous. This includes driving while impaired by illicit drugs or certain prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications that can affect driving ability. Sadly, fatal drug-involved crashes now outpace the number of alcohol-impaired collisions in New Jersey, as these stats show.

Marijuana was recently legalized in New Jersey and could be contributing to the uptick in drugged driving accidents. In one study by AAA, 39 percent of drivers killed in N.J. accidents in a single year tested positive for drugs, with 19 percent testing positive for cannabinoids and 12 percent positive for narcotics.

Comparison: Crashes by Age and Gender

Throughout the United States, men consistently are involved in more drunk driving accidents than women. The same is true in New Jersey. There were 717 men killed in impaired driving crashes during the study period compared to 202 women. No matter the sex, the age group most at risk for these collisions is 21 to 32.

No one under age 21 is permitted to purchase or consume alcohol in New Jersey, yet underage drinking is certainly a problem among young people in the state. Nearly five percent of impaired driving accidents involved male and female drivers between the ages of 15 and 20.

Data Source: NHTSA FARS Database / //www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

One disturbing fact from this data: There were 107 fatal collisions involving male and female drivers between the ages of 15 and 20, or one-tenth of the total. Clearly, we need to focus our efforts on teens as well.

Comparison: Highest Crashes by Day of Week/Time of Day

Recognizing when impaired driving crashes are more likely to happen can help law enforcement know when to crack down on drunk drivers. Unsurprisingly, the greatest percentage of accidents occur on the weekends, from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Here, the data shows that 39 percent of collisions occur on Saturdays and Sundays. Add in Friday nights and the percentage balloons to almost half of all drunk driving accidents during the long weekend.

It makes sense that these types of crashes are more common on the weekends, when most people are off work and hanging out with friends and visiting bars and nightclubs. Efforts to curb drunk driving should focus on these peak periods.

Data Source: NHTSA FARS Database / //www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

Comparison: Counties and Crash Numbers

Looking at the numbers, it’s plain to see that highly populated areas like Middlesex, Monmouth, Essex, Ocean, and Atlantic counties have the most impaired driving crashes in New Jersey. These numbers make sense due to each county’s proximity to popular destinations like the Jersey Shore, New York City, Atlantic City, and Rutgers University, the eighth-oldest college in the nation.

In all of these areas, there’s no shortage of opportunities for partying. Though New Jersey already has a Zero Tolerance policy for drunk driving, additional crackdowns in these areas could protect the public and prevent others from making deadly mistakes. With luck, the popularity of rideshare services may also make a dent in these numbers.

It’s important to remember that impaired driving fatalities can happen anywhere. Staying safe make means driving responsibly, getting a designated driver, and seeking treatment for substance abuse problems if you need to.

Data Source: NHTSA FARS Database / //www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

Resources

Sign the Pledge

Let’s commit to preventing drunk driving crashes nationwide. Please sign our pledge and — and most importantly — honor the promise never to drink and drive.

Sign the Pledge

NJ Open Data Project - #StaySoberNJ

Introduction

Fatal Alcohol-Related Collisions Heat Map

Drinking vs Drug Use

Comparison: Crashes by Age and Gender

Comparison: Highest Crashes by Day of Week/Time of Day

Comparison: Counties and Crash Numbers

Resources

Sign the Pledge