As anyone who has driven in the Garden State understands, our roadways are crowded and filled with accident risks and other dangers. The range of potential causes for traffic collisions could be described as only limited to one’s imagination in a state as diverse and densely populated as ours. That said, we recognize that certain activities or driving behaviors are more likely to result in a serious motor vehicle wreck than others. Drinking and driving is undeniably one of those risky activities that everyone is concerned about.
While my colleagues and I are trained legal professional, skilled in the techniques of defending individuals accused of offenses both criminal and civil, we do not espouse getting behind the wheel of an automobile, commercial truck or other motor vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol. As motorists ourselves, we value the ever-increasing improvements in passenger vehicle and roadway safety.
When it comes to being charged with DWI, our firm is ready to assist individuals accused of intoxicated driving. We look at all the facts and argue our clients’ cases based on the law and legal statutes of the State of New Jersey and the Constitution of the United States. But facts are facts, as we are aware in our roles as drunken driving defense lawyers; alcohol- and drug-related traffic accidents are surely a fair percentage of the fatal car, truck and motorcycle collisions that occur on a regular basis here in New Jersey and elsewhere.
According to New Jersey law enforcement officials and traffic safety experts, the New Jersey Turnpike is the sixth-busiest toll road in the entire United States; in the past decade, according to some statistics, almost 200 fatal accidents have taken place along this 122-mile ribbon of roadway.
Based on an article posted on NJ.com, of the 195 fatal crashes on the Jersey Turnpike from ’03 to ’11, the area around Newark had the most fatalities (14), with Woodbridge (12), Edison (10) and Carneys Point (8) right behind. Driver inattention was blamed the most, accounting for about 66 of those nearly 200 fatal wrecks. Drunken driving or impairment due to drug use was indicated in 44 instances.
Another interesting statistic, which should be shared with everyone who driver the Turnpike is that fatal traffic accidents on this stretch of road are most likely to take place between midnight and 6am in the morning. Of the top causes for early morning crashes, DWI was not named, but improper passing, failure to obey traffic controls and stopping in the roadway were listed by the article.
When it comes to drunken driving, while it may not be the biggest cause of fatal auto accidents, it is not an insignificant contributor. This is likely why the decades-long campaign to reduce the number of drunk drivers on our nation’s highways and surface streets has continued unabated. It may be easier to tell whether a driver was legally drunk at the time of an accident then if he or she was simply distracted at the wrong moment. In the end, though, it’s probably better to drive defensively and more conscientiously in order to make it home alive each day. Stay safe out there, New Jersey.
Top 5 facts every motorist should know about fatal crashes on the Turnpike, NJ.com, May 22, 2013