OCTOBER 10, 2015 HAS BEEN DECLARED PUT THE BRAKES ON FATALITIES DAY® BY THE TOWNSHIP OF UNION. ACROSS THE NATION, TRAFFIC CRASHES CAUSED APPROXIMATELY 32,675 (EST.) FATALITIES IN 2014, AND ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 15 TO 34.
IN NEW JERSEY, 556 INDIVIDUALS LOST THEIR LIVES IN TRAFFIC CRASHES IN 2015. ALCOHOL-RELATED CRASHES ACCOUNTED FOR 27.0 PERCENT OF THE STATE’S TRAFFIC FATALITIES, WHILE 26 PERCENT OF ALL FATAL CRASHES INVOLVED TRAVELING AT UNSAFE SPEEDS.
MOTORCYCLISTS, BICYCLE RIDERS AND PEDESTRIANS FACE INCREASED RISKS ON NEW JERSEY’S ROADWAYS, AS PEOPLE OPT FOR ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. 60 MOTORCYCLISTS, 11 BICYCLISTS AND 170 PEDESTRIANS WERE KILLED IN NEW JERSEY IN TRAFFIC-RELATED CRASHES IN 2015.
SAFER DRIVING BEHAVIORS SUCH AS BUCKLING UP, EVERY RIDE; OBEYING POSTED SPEED LIMITS; STOPPING FOR PEDESTRIANS IN CROSSWALKS AND USING CROSSWALKS WHEN WALKING; AVOIDING AGGRESSIVE DRIVING BEHAVIORS; NEVER DRIVING IMPAIRED; WEARING PROPER SAFETY GEAR WHEN RIDING A MOTORCYCLE OR BICYCLE; AND, FOCUSING SOLELY ON DRIVING BY AVOIDING DISTRACTIONS, CAN DRAMATICALLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC-RELATED INJURIES AND DEATHS.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MANUEL FIGUEIREDO, MAYOR OF THE TOWNSHIP OF UNION IN THE COUNTY OF UNION, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM OCTOBER 10, 2015, PUT THE BRAKES ON FATALITIES DAY®, AND CALL UPON EVERYONE TO PUT THESE LIFESAVING BEHAVIORS INTO PRACTICE TO IMPROVE SAFETY ON THE ROADWAYS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE.