Roads Take Safer Turn ; Fewer Crashes As Drivers Cut Back

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By KAREN ROUSE, DAVE SHEINGOLD and TOM DAVIS, STAFF WRITERS

North Jersey roads got safer in 2008.

As soaring gas prices prompted drivers to stay home, Bergen and Passaic counties had about 1,000 fewer accidents in the first half of 2008, compared with the same period in 2007. The drop-off led to 500 fewer deaths and injuries, according to an analysis of traffic crash data by The Record.

The decline in accidents, about 4 percent, roughly mirrored a 3 percent decrease statewide, the analysis found.

Accidents involving injuries or death dropped further, more than 6 percent in Bergen County and more than 5 percent in Passaic County.

"Your exposure goes up the more you drive," said Pam Fischer, director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety. "During this time frame, when gas prices were going up and up and up, people were looking at their driving. People were really trying to economize."

The drop in accidents, however, does not translate into lower car insurance rates for motorists, said Rachael E. Moore, director of the Insurance Council of New Jersey in Ewing.

"While accident rates are down ... the costs associated with those accidents [medical care, vehicle repair] that do occur continues to climb at a greater pace than the decline in accidents," Moore said. "So while these costs may be moderating somewhat due to decline in the overall picture, it does not create a reduction considerable enough to reduce rates."

Ed Rogan, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, agrees.

"While fewer accidents is certainly a good thing, it doesn't translate automatically into lower rates.

"Car insurers have to take into consideration their premiums and claims in the course of a year, what their business plan is, and if it's prudent for them to see a raise," Rogan said. "It can also take a couple of years for a trend to develop" in accidents.

He said that although accidents are down, the severity of accidents is up, which means higher medical costs.

Fischer said the chances of getting into an accident climb with the amount of time spent on the road.

"If you drive 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, you have a one in 15 chance" of getting into a wreck, she said. At 20,000 to 25,000 miles, the chances double to one in seven, she said.

Michele Mount, a spokeswoman for AAA New Jersey automobile club, agrees that the lower crash figures are linked to the fewer vehicle miles traveled by motorists trying to conserve.

"People spent less time in their cars," she said.

Rogerio Silva, who works for Railroad Construction in Paterson, is one of them. He said his family cut down on driving so they can afford to live.

"My wife is trying to work from home," he said. "She just got a job offer but she didn't take it because it was in Long Island."

Andrew McGuire of Rutherford has limited his time on the road because he is out of work. When the prices were dropping, McGuire only bought $20 worth of gasoline at a time, hoping to ration his usage until the prices bottomed out.

"I have another car that I use for long driving, but I haven't been using it because of the gas prices," he said. "I try to stay far away from rush hour as much as I can."

Fischer said other factors contributing to the decline could be aggressive law enforcement patrols in Bergen and Passaic counties, and public education.

"We've been harping about the fact that most crashes are caused by the behavior of the driver," Fischer said.

People can make a difference by changing habits like speeding or talking on their cellphones while driving, she said.

Amarjeet Brar of East Rutherford knows firsthand that people are driving less. He is a manager of a local Delta gas station and has seen his gas business drop 25 percent over the past three months.

"People don't have the money and don't want to drive as much," he said "People don't want to spend anything because they don't know what's going to happen."

But there is an up side. When he drives north on Route 17 in Paramus to go shopping, he said, traffic has been lighter.

"Route 17 is usually crazy with traffic and busy," he said. "Now when you go in the morning, there is nobody -- it's like a Sunday."

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SAFER ROADS

North Jersey roads were the scene of fewer

accidents, and fewer accidents causing injury or

death, in the first half of 2008 versus the same

period in 2007. Similar trends were seen

statewide.

Bergen County20072008% CHANGE

Total accidents15,39214,663-4.7

Accidents with injury or death3,3023,097-6.2