NJDOT
celebrates "Put the Brakes on Fatalities" Day
(Trenton)
- Commissioner Jack Lettiere today announced that the New Jersey
Department of Transportation (NJDOT) on October 10 will celebrate
Put The Brakes On Fatalities Day®. The annual celebration
promotes safety improvements to New Jersey 's transportation network
and encourages the public to embrace safer driving procedures.
"NJDOT
is working hard to identify and address threats to motorists and
pedestrians, but we can't do it alone," said Commissioner Lettiere.
"Drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists can help reduce
and ultimately eliminate unnecessary casualties on our nation's
roads."
NJDOT
will celebrate Put The Brakes On Fatalities Day in concert with
more than 40 national safety organizations, federal, state and
local government agencies and private sector companies working
together to reduce the death and injury toll of motor vehicle
crashes. The initiative's goal is to achieve one full day of zero
traffic deaths.
According
to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every $100
million invested in highway safety improvements results in approximately
145 fewer traffic fatalities over a 10-year period. Motor
vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of death for Americans
aged 6 to 33 years old. Statistics show that New Jersey motorists
are involved in approximately 320,000
crashes per year. 700 fatalities occur each year, including more
than 100 pedestrian fatalities.
NJDOT
administers several programs designed to protect the safety of
New Jersey 's motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. The NJDOT Cross-Median
Prevention Program identifies locations where excessive numbers
of cross-median head-on collisions have occurred. NJDOT then provides
median barriers designed to prevent such occurrences at identified
locations.
NJDOT's
Intersection and Pedestrian Improvement Program identifies areas
at which high rates of crashes, injuries and deaths have occurred.
NJDOT then implements low-cost improvements such as signal timing
revisions and installation of pedestrian indications, new and/or
updated signing, and new and/or updated pavement markings.
The
NJDOT Safe Corridor Program identifies high-crash rate locations
through the state and increases motor vehicle violation fines
in those areas.
NJDOT
also financially supports the NJ State Police Enhanced Enforcement
Program. The Department allocates to the NJ State Police $2 million
dollars to be used during a two-year term to target aggressive
drivers in select locations.
NJDOT
encourages motorists to adopt safer driving behavior. Driving
defensively, obeying posted speed limits, reducing speed in bad
weather and not drinking and driving are examples of behaviors
that drivers can practice in order to reduce their chances of
being in a crash. Other important safety practices include consistent
use of safety belts, use of appropriate child safety seats, wearing
of a helmet when cycling or skating and crossing streets at crosswalks.
For
more traffic safety tips and information, log on to the Put The
Brakes On Fatalities Day® website at www.brakesonfatalities.org
