There are many rules to the road and they're in place for safety reasons to protect both you and I and the many other who walk, bike, run or drive on New Jersey roadways. There are four situations in particular many of us come to face with on a daily basis. 

Message board on Kozlowski Road in Freehold
Message board on Kozlowski Road in Freehold (Monmouth County Dept. of Public Information and Tourism)
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Statistics put out recently by the New Jersey State Police and covered in a report by Townsquare Media New Jersey, show some startling and grim numbers for fatalities on the roads at the shore alone.

34-fatal crashes and 35-fatalies in Ocean County alone this year lead the state, while Monmouth County isn't too far behind with 22-fatal crashes and 25-fatalies.

These tragedies have occurred for various different reasons and for different sets of circumstances.

With school starting this week, the rules of the road don't change but there will be more pedestrian traffic and even some from an increased flow of school buses and parents dropping their kids off at school.

Here are Four Commandments of driving in New Jersey I've come up with, that if followed could lower the numbers above and make the shore a safe place for all.

  • 1. Driving and walking safely in a school zone

It's the first week back at school which means drivers and pedestrians should be paying even greater attention to their surroundings to ensure everyone's safety.

Lt. Ryan Roth, in charge of traffic safety with Berkeley Township police says drivers need to pay close attention in a school zone with little kids running around.

"Be aware that children under the age of 10 may not be able to judge speed and distance very well," said Roth. "They also can't judge where noises are coming from very effectively until they're 10-years old and older. If you see a young child be cognizant of the fact that they may not even realize the noise you car is making is coming from that direction."

Toms River Police safety officer Steve Schwartz, adds that drivers need to plan ahead and suggests even taking a different route to work if you don't want to wait in traffic.

However, if you do find yourself in a school zone he urges safety first.

"If you are behind a school bus leave yourself enough space so that if those amber and red lights come on, you can stop in time safely," said Schwartz. "Even though the kids are supposed to cross in front of the bus, be cognizant that some of these kids are little and don't know, and they may just dart in front of you."

Schwartz advises students walking to school to do so with a group of friends so drivers can spot them easier among other helpful safety tips.

"Dress appropriately and try to wear bright colors or reflective materials especially if you're going early in the morning," said Schwartz. "Try to walk facing traffic if possible so you can see what's coming at you and if you do get to a crosswalk without a cross-guard, you always want to look left, right and then left again."

One more note for drivers that runs parallel to a bill introduced by Shore Senator Jim Holzapfel...

"Never pass a school bus with its lights on," said Schwartz.

 

  • 2. Sharing the road and playing nice with other drivers
Don Bayley, Getty Images
Don Bayley, Getty Images
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There's no reason to floor it down Route 37, Route 9 or any other road for that matter or to roll past stop signs or fail to yield...at an actual yield sign.

Jersey roads are not the track for the Daytona 500, although that seems to be a daily occurrence here at the shore.

"If there's any kind of construction going on or any kind of delay, people start getting frustrated and that's when they start weaving in-and-out trying to make up that time," said Schwartz. "When they're doing that...that's usually when they get themselves into an accident."

He says if you plan ahead and leave timely, there wont be a need for speed.

"You're going to save yourself maybe 30-seconds in the long run," said Schwartz. "If you hit somebody and injure them, you're going to live with that for the rest of your life plus all the criminal charges you'd be facing. It's never worth it, just stop and observe the traffic laws. If you plan ahead and leave enough time, those things won't become an issue for you."

3. Walk safely on the roads especially those without sidewalks and don't run across the road to try and beat oncoming traffic

A pedestrian crossing in Toms River
A pedestrian crossing in Toms River (Kevin Williams, Townsquare Media NJ)
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"You definitely don't want to play chicken with the cars, you're always going to lose," said Schwartz, who re-stresses the importance of leaving on time to get where you need to be.

He says pedestrians have the right of way at a crosswalk as long as the signal is in their favor.

"If there's a green traffic signal on Route 37 for example, those cars are going to have the right of way," said Schwartz. "You can't just dart across because there happens to be a crosswalk there, you have to wait for a red light and then for the crosswalk signal to activate."

He suggests drivers should hover their foot over the brake in the event a pedestrian heads out without warning to avoid an accident.

"You can cross at any intersection that's not marked, then vehicles have to yield to you," said Roth.

For pedestrians who dart across the road in front of oncoming traffic, Roth says you can only do so legally if it doesn't interrupt traffic.

"You can cross in the middle (of the road) between crosswalks," said Roth. "Legally you can cross without jay-walking as long as you don't interrupt traffic at all. If there's a huge gap in both directions and you can safely walk across without interrupting anyone's driving, that's legally okay."

Anytime you're crossing the road, make eye contact with the driver.

  • 4. No Texting and Driving but also No Texting and Walking 
Man texting on mobile phone during driving a car
KatarzynaBialasiewicz - ThinkStock
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Multi-tasking is a real necessity in today's working environment...but that's at work...not on the road...at least in regards to using your phone.

Whether it's walking across the street or driving, that text or email can wait until later.

Lt. Roth says both situations, texting and walking and texting and driving, are equally dangerous.

"We're definitely seeing that as a factor in pedestrian crashes," said Roth. "People are looking down at their phone and crossing major streets."

He says officers can ask pedestrians to be more aware of what they're doing, but "there's nothing we can really do to force people to do the right thing."

Roth urges all pedestrians to think safety first, and be conscious of where you're going.

For a list of safety tips and laws, head over to the NJ Department of Law and Public Safety's website.

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