NEW JERSEY — Traffic-related fatalities in New Jersey declined significantly in 2025, with preliminary data showing fewer deadly crashes and fewer people killed on the state’s roads, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety announced.
According to the preliminary figures, fatal crashes dropped nearly 16% — from 647 in 2024 to 547 in 2025. The number of people killed in those crashes, including drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians, fell about 15%, from 684 in 2024 to 582 in 2025.
Pedestrian deaths fell nearly 24%, from 230 in 2024 to 175 in 2025. Driver fatalities decreased about 15%, from 350 to 299. Motorcyclist deaths dropped about 40%, to 72, after reaching a historic high of 120 in 2024, officials said.
“The decline in traffic fatalities in New Jersey in 2025 is a clear step in the right direction,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Targeted traffic enforcement, driver education, and engineering safety improvements statewide have all made our state’s drivers and pedestrians safer. Our office works tirelessly to keep our residents safe on the roads. But there is still more work for us to do to drive down traffic fatalities, as even one traffic fatality is one too many. We will continue to take targeted action to drive down traffic fatalities in New Jersey.”
“While we are encouraged that traffic fatalities in New Jersey declined significantly in 2025, each of those numbers represents a life lost and a family forever changed,” said Michael J. Rizol Jr., Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “This decrease shows that our collective efforts are making a difference, but it also reminds us that there is still urgent work to do.”
Officials said preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates traffic deaths declined about 8% nationwide during the first half of 2025, and that New Jersey was among 38 states and territories reporting decreases during that period.
New Jersey saw fewer fatalities in 15 of its 21 counties, officials said, while Camden, Cape May, Morris, Hudson, Ocean and Salem counties recorded more deaths than the year before. Ocean County had the most traffic fatalities in 2025 with 63, while Hunterdon County had the fewest with six.
State officials said the Division of Highway Traffic Safety allocated more than $20 million in 2025 to law enforcement agencies and partner organizations to support traffic safety initiatives, including high-visibility enforcement and education campaigns.
