MONTVILLE, NJ – New data shows fatal crashes are increasing in New Jersey, and police say drunk driving is a major factor.
So far this year, 643 people have died in car crashes, compared to 558 this time last year, according to the New Jersey State Police Fatal Investigation Unit.
Of those 643 deaths, 207 were pedestrians and 25 were cyclists.
Police warn that public holidays are the most important time of year for impaired drivers
Nationally, drunk driving contributes to a third of all fatal crashes, according to police.
“Thanksgiving and Christmas are the most important times of the year for impaired drivers,” said Montville Township Police Chief Andrew Caggiano. “We see the increase and last year officers took more than 29,000 impaired drivers off the road.”
It’s one reason why the New Jersey Association of Police Chiefs just released a public safety announcement focusing on individuals who have lost loved ones in impaired driving crashes.
Woman whose parents were killed by drunk driver shares story
Erica Linn is a national ambassador for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Both her parents were killed by a drunk driver on her birthday eight years ago.
“The woman who killed them ran them over on a residential street in Westchester. She was going 60 miles per hour,” Linn said.
She urges, “Get a regular driver, sign up for Uber or Lyft, or take public transportation.”
‘This is the part that hurts the most. I know they should still be here,” she added.
