As traffic fatalities increased last year, the deadliest counties in the state are not the places people would immediately think of.
The counties that had the most fatal crashes last year aren't in the densely populated northern part of the state. And the crashes don't always happen on the largest, fastest highways.
Burlington and Monmouth counties proved to be more deadly than Hudson, Union and Middlesex, based on an analysis of State Police fatal crash statistics for 2016.
Burlington led the state in both fatal crashes and the number of people killed, making it the deadliest of all 21 counties. While I-295 crosses the county, smaller highways such as Route 70 and 130 had more fatal collisions last year.
In Hudson County, a county road rather than a state highway claimed the title of being the most deadly. County Route 501, also known as Kennedy Boulevard, had five fatal crashes in 2016, more than some of the bigger and busier toll roads and highways that criss-cross the county.
The state ended 2016 with 607 people killed in 575 crashes, which State Police said was an 8 percent increase over 2015.
The deadly data is used for more than just record keeping, officials said.
Fatality statistics can result in highway projects to improve conditions if a trend is seen in the crash data over several years, said Stephen Schapiro, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.
"NJDOT looks at several criteria for a given location or segment of road including the number of crashes, the type of crash, the severity of the crash, and the cause of the crash," he said. "The Department compiles three years of data for a given location and uses the information to prioritize projects."
A state police analysis of 2015 fatal crashes, released earlier this month, showed a continuing trend where distracted driving was the leading factor in deadly collisions, followed by alcohol use and speeding.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
