Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety reported a significant decrease in traffic-related fatalities across the state in 2025.
Preliminary figures show that fatal crashes dropped by nearly 16%, from 647 incidents in 2024 to 547 in 2025. The total number of deaths, which includes drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians, fell by about 15%, declining from 684 to 582 during the same period.
The data also indicate that pedestrian deaths decreased by almost 24%, going from 230 in 2024 to 175 in 2025. Driver fatalities were down approximately 15%, falling from 350 to 299. Motorcyclist fatalities saw an approximate decline of 40%, dropping from a historic high of 120 in the previous year to just 72 in 2025.
“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.”
Nationally, preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests an overall reduction of about eight percent in roadway deaths during the first half of last year. New Jersey was among thirty-eight states and territories experiencing this trend.
A county-level breakdown revealed declines across fifteen out of twenty-one counties; however, Camden, Cape May, Morris, Hudson, Ocean, and Salem counties recorded increases compared with last year’s figures. Ocean County had the highest number of road deaths at sixty-three while Hunterdon County reported six.
In support of these efforts throughout its jurisdiction—which spans every county and municipality according to its official website—the Attorney General’s Office allocated over $20 million through HTS for law enforcement agencies and partners working on highway safety initiatives statewide last year.
The agency continues coordinating with police departments and nonprofit organizations as part of its comprehensive plan combining visible enforcement campaigns with public education strategies aimed at reducing roadway dangers—a mandate consistent with its broader mission overseeing public safety enforcement throughout New Jersey (source).
