MONMOUTH COUNTY – With several fatal accidents occurring this summer, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey and the county’s police chiefs are urging locals to drive with caution as the summer season comes to a close.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO), a total of 13 people died in July from car accidents within Monmouth County. The MCPO stated that this is the highest number recorded in any month since 2014.
“We are seeking the public’s help in preventing as many of these traffic accidents as possible, by taking proactive steps to stay safe and protect one another,” Linskey said. “It is an absolute imperative that we do everything in our power, across every level of law enforcement, to seek to ensure that this is a trend that gets quickly reversed.”
“Even one death on Monmouth County roadways is one too many,” added Manasquan Police Chief Michael Bauer, President of the Monmouth County Police Chiefs Association. “I and my fellow Police Chiefs stand in firm solidarity on this issue, resolutely pledging to leverage every strategic enforcement tool available to us in an effort to protect the safety and security of our motorists and pedestrians.”
So far this year, 41 people have died as the result of roadway incidents which surpasses numbers recorded over the past four years.
According to an analysis conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office, these 41 deaths resulted from 34 separate events, including 26 collisions and eight instances of a pedestrian being struck and killed by a car. About half of those killed from collisions were not wearing a seat belt at the time of impact, the MCPO said.
Seven of the incidents involved a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, with seven more incidents currently under review, as results of toxicology tests remain pending. MCPO said that each pedestrian killed was not in a marked crosswalk at the time they were struck.
The ages of these victims ranged from 3-years-old to 92. In July, deaths include a mother and her youngest child, a son and both of his parents, and a group of three friends traveling together, MCPO said.
“Each of these 41 individuals left behind people who loved them – people who never dreamed that they would be gone so soon,” Linskey said. “And none of them imagined the last morning they woke up that their lives would be so tragically and violently cut short.”
Linskey said that the solution is simple:
“If you consume any alcohol or drugs, don’t get behind the wheel. Don’t use your cell phone while driving. Obey posted speed limits and road signs. Only cross the street in a marked crosswalk, and only when you have the right of way. And wear a seat belt for every trip, every time, no matter how short,” Linskey said.
Drivers should also be cautions on highways. Although 13 fatal incidents have taken place this year on local and back roads, the other 21 all occurred on highways, including six on the Garden State Parkway and six on Route 9.
“New Jersey is a crowded state, with innumerable motorists in a great hurry to arrive at their destination, but gaining a few extra minutes is never a fair trade for putting your or someone else’s life at risk. All of us must exercise a little more patience and understanding, in order to arrive alive,” Linskey said.
