Two of the nation’s deadliest roads are in NJ

Losing someone is always horrible. But losing someone you love in a traffic accident is a very deep hurt because it is so unexpected.

I have experience with this.

I lost a good friend and dear colleague in this manner. He was in the prime of his life. I had seen him just the night before, and he was fine. Then the next day at work, I found out he was gone. Just like that.

The suddenness of losing someone to a fatal car crash is hard to get your mind around. I feel for anyone who’s gone through it.

Of course, it can happen to anyone at any time on any road. But did you know that in the United States, the summer months are the most deadly on our nation’s roadways?

It’s a number of factors. Extended daylight, people drawn to going out more with nicer weather, and people traveling longer distances all contribute.

But some roads are more notorious than others for summertime traffic fatalities. To that end, a study was done by Angel Reyes & Associates, a law firm specializing in car and truck accident cases, revealing certain roads across the nation that see a sharp spike in fatal crashes during this late summer window.

They looked at NHTSA data of fatal crashes occurring in August and September over the last five years. Interestingly, they excluded interstates and focused on local and arterial roads.

They found two roads in New Jersey to be among the nation’s deadliest in summer.

Both Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic County and County Road-655 Fries Mill Road in Gloucester County had four fatal accidents in the latter half of summer over the past half-decade. They were in a multi-state tie for the 17th most deadly road in the United States in late summer.

The deadliest was Winchester Road in Shelby County, Tennessee. On that road, 10 fatal crashes occurred in five years.

You can’t control everything. But as you enjoy the rest of summer, stay alert and drive defensively.