Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Camden County Prosecutors Office, NJ Attorney General launch traffic safety initiative on White Horse Pike
The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the State Attorney General, in partnership with 14 local police agencies, launched a $400,000 initiative Monday to reduce vehicle crashes and improve pedestrian safety along White Horse Pike.
Over the last four years, there has been an uptick in crashes and pedestrian fatalities. In 2023 alone, there were seven fatal crashes on this state highway. These crashes resulted in eight deaths with five being pedestrians and one being a bicyclist.
“We have repeatedly seen deadly car crashes on the White Horse Pike and we are determined to reduce the number of lives lost because so many of these incidents can be prevented,” said Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay. “And we have noticed a common theme in these crashes: distracted driving and disregarding the speed limit. Too often drivers are looking at their cellphones and ignoring the speed limit, resulting in catastrophe.”
The initiative, which will use Street Smart NJ materials, is being funded by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. As part of this effort, the participating police departments will be working to address aggressive and distracted driving while also focusing on seat belt safety and most importantly pedestrian safety.
According to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, there have been 11,251 crashes on the White Horse Pike (Route 30) since 2010. Of this, 3,894 caused injuries and 80 were fatal. More than 7,000 of these crashes involved driver inattention or distracted driving and 692 involved unsafe speed.
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Photo Credit: Camden County Prosecutor's Office