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840 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 310 |
Volume 1, Fall 2004
Also available in PDF, safetyupdate04.pdf (137 KB)
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Every year, more than 42,000 people across the nation lose their lives in motor vehicle crashes. Based on national data, FHWA has identified three areas to focus their attention to reduce the number of fatalities—intersection related fatalities, pedestrian fatalities and roadway departure (run off road and head on) fatalities. Preliminary estimates indicate that in 2003, 747 lives were lost on New Jersey's roadways. Approximately 60% of these crashes occur on local roadways. See how your county compares to other NJ counties on page 2 [below].
Eight-five percent of motor vehicle fatalities are related to driver behavior. Engineering countermeasures on our roadway system can reduce the potential of a crash occurring, as well as the severity of a crash. However, if we truly want to reduce the number of fatalities that occur in NJ, we must implement strategies that can modify driver behavior. Such strategies include enhanced enforcement of our existing traffic laws and educating the motoring public on traffic safety issues. Establish partnerships with your enforcement and education partners. Together, you can make a difference!
Unsafe pavement edges are a serious safety problem. An estimated 11,000 Americans suffer injuries and 160 die each year in crashes related to unsafe pavement edges, at a cost of $1.2 billion. A pavement edge can be considered unsafe if a vertical edge drop-off is four or more inches. Near vertical edge drop-offs of less than four inches are still considered a safety hazard to the motoring public and may cause difficulty upon reentry to the paved surface. You can prevent crashes caused by unsafe pavement edge drop-offs by utilizing a 30-35 degree angle asphalt fillet along each side of the roadway in all resurfacing projects. The asphalt fillet provides a safer roadway edge and a stronger interface between the roadway and the shoulder. The cost of an asphalt fillet is minimal in comparison to the total amount of the resurfacing contract and pays back in countless dollars saved from reduction of fatalities, injuries, property damage and lawsuits.
 Vertical Drop-Off |
 Safety Edge |
The FHWA NJ Division is providing this newsletter as a means to keep the safety community up to date on new technologies, initiatives and opportunities in the area of transportation safety. While the contents of this newsletter will primarily be focused on FHWA-related activities i.e. engineering), we will also bring relevant news from our USDOT partners, NHTSA (i.e. behavioral issues) and FMCSA (i.e. motor carrier safety and enforcement). If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email us at nj.safety@fhwa.dot.gov.
To be held on February 9th in Philadelphia. For additional information, email nj.safety@fhwa.dot.gov.
Eighty-five percent of all fatalities occur as a result of driver behavior. The “12 Months of Traffic Safety” is a public outreach campaign to raise awareness of various traffic safety issues throughout the year. Each month of 2005 a different safety issue will be highlights as outlined below:
| Month | Safety Issue |
|---|---|
| January | Aggressive Driving |
| February | Drive Safely in Inclement Weather |
| March | Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety |
| April | Work Zone Safety |
| May | Occupant Protection |
| June | Motorcycle Safety |
| July | Listen to the Signs/Driver Inattention |
| August | You Drink... You Drive... You Lose! |
| September | Intersection Safety/Senior Safety |
| October | School Bus Safety |
| November | Truck Safety |
| December | Rail Safety |
Sponsored by: USDOT, NJDOT, NJDHTS, NJMVC, ICNJ, AAA
The campaign will consist of many avenues to get the word out, including but not limited to: initial press conference to kick off the campaign; various press releases throughout the year to recognize national observations such as Work Zone Safety Awareness Week and Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day; development and dissemination of informational brochures for each traffic safety issue; safety messages on sponsor websites; and a NJ traffic safety calendar contest. If you would like to join us in this campaign, please let us know as we can share the brochures and other materials with you!
To be added to the distribution list for future editions of this newsletter, please email nj.safety@fhwa.dot.gov.
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