Police, Rahway

Traffic enforcement will be priority in 2023

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Traffic enforcement will be a priority in the new year to reduce motor vehicle accidents and unsafe behavior behind the wheel.

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Mayor Raymond Giacobbe, Jr. announced the effort via Facebook last week. The “High Visibility Traffic Enforcement Campaign” will have three primary goals:

  • To reduce motor vehicle accidents;
  • To reduce unsafe driving behaviors that contribute to motor vehicle accidents; and,
  • To document unsafe driving behaviors by both commercial and passenger vehicle drivers.

“As mayor of the great City of Rahway, I can’t help but notice that speeding remains to be an issue within our community despite the inherent dangers,” the mayor wrote in an announcement posted on Facebook. “Speed limits are not suggestions, they are in place for everyone’s safety and vital in protecting drivers, pedestrians, and properties alike.”

The campaign will combine “intensive enforcement of safety laws” by the Rahway Police Department with “extensive communication, education, and outreach to inform the public about enforcement activity throughout the year,” Giacobbe said, referring to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website (https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding) for more information on the dangers of speeding and what to do if you encounter an aggressive driver.

There’s no shortage of studies and data that show that traffic and pedestrians deaths and injuries in the U.S. are on the rise — far higher than other developed nations.

Source: Smart Growth America

Driving decreased in 2020 because of the pandemic but deaths of people walking increased almost 5 percent, according to Dangerous By Design, a report by Smart Growth America. Using data from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the group expects 2021 will be the highest number in 40 years and one of the biggest single-year jumps — 11 to 13 percent — in decades.

Just today, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety issued its 2023 Roadmap to Safety Report, which cited New Jersey among 36 states with a yellow or “caution” ranking for lacking laws that allow and/or use speed and red light cameras. New Jersey was among 31 on the list in last year’s report.

In her book, There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster – Who Profits and Who Pays the Price, Jessie Singer argues that focusing on improving conditions and design is more effective than trying to change behavior of “a few bad apples.”

Instead of trying to perfect people’s behavior, she suggests designing a system to prevent accidents. Singer makes the comparison that automatic fire sprinklers don’t tell people not to smoke or play with matches but they do prevent harmful accidents.

David Zipper, visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, is another prolific author who writes extensively about road and traffic safety and such.

“I urge everyone to be conscientious of their speed while on the road. We’ve all been in a rush, we’ve all been running late, whatever the reason may be, it’s not worth risking your life or the lives of others,” the mayor said. “Please, follow traffic laws, slow down, and stay safe.”

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