Newark to Host Pedestrian Safety Pilot Program

The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) kicked off a new “Street Smart” pedestrian safety pilot program on Friday at an event on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. The campaign, a collaborative effort between public, private and non-profit organizations, urges motorists and pedestrians to “check your vital signs” to improve your safety on the road. The campaign comes at a significant time as New Jersey is ranked 14th in the nation in pedestrian fatalities.

“Whether you’re walking, driving or cycling, check your vital signs -- speed limit and stop signs, crosswalks, walk and don’t walk signals,” said Mary K. Murphy, Executive Director of the NJTPA, which is coordinating the campaign in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

“If everyone heeded these critical signs, crashes could be prevented and lives saved,” Murphy said. “The message may seem simple, but it is vitally important.”

To drive home this point, the event included a video presentation of vehicle stopping time and distance, featuring a wire-frame model of a child crossing the street. At 25 mph, the vehicle stops in time. At 35 mph, the car slams into the model with devastating force.

“The lesson here is clear,” said Dr. David H. Livingston, Director of the New Jersey Trauma Center at University Hospital in Newark, who spoke about the mismatch when a pedestrian and vehicle collide. “If a pedestrian is struck by a car going 20 mph or slower, the odds of survival are good. At speeds above 35 mph, the impact is likely to be fatal.”

New Jersey has been designated a “focus” state and Newark a “focus” city by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the high incidence of injury and fatal motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians. From 2009-2011, 402 pedestrians were killed and more than 13,000 injured on New Jersey’s roadways, which translates to one death every 2.5 days and 14 injuries daily. Seventy-two (72) percent of these fatalities and 81 percent of these injuries occurred in the 13-county NJTPA region.

Street Smart is being piloted in Newark, Hackettstown, Jersey City and Woodbridge throughout November. An additional pilot effort on Long Beach Island will occur in early summer 2014. The campaign uses advertising, grassroots public awareness efforts and law enforcement to address pedestrian safety.

“Police will be enforcing pedestrian laws for the safety of all roadway users,” stressed Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray. “They will focus on motorists who fail to obey New Jersey’s law requiring them to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, as well as pedestrians who jaywalk. Officers will also address speeding, illegal turns, and distracted and inattentive driving and walking, which contribute to pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes.”

To learn more about the campaign, visit bestreetsmartnj.org.