Truck accident statistics for Union County, New Jersey (2020-2024)

Truck accident deaths in Union County by year

Truck accident deaths rose from 3 in 2020 to 7 in 2021, then fell to 3 in 2022. The count rose to 4 in 2023 and 5 in 2024. The highest count was 7 in 2021; 2020 and 2022 shared the lowest count of 3. The 2024 count was 2 deaths higher than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The annual shares of all traffic deaths were 10.0% in 2020, 24.1% in 2021, 10.3% in 2022, 10.8% in 2023 and 13.2% in 2024. All traffic deaths numbered 30, 29, 29, 37 and 38 in those respective years. These percentages describe each year's truck accident deaths as a share of that year's traffic deaths.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Deaths within 30 days in crashes on public roads. 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised.

Who died in Union County truck accidents

People in the large truck accounted for 5 deaths, or 22.7%. People in other vehicles accounted for 9 deaths, or 40.9%, the largest person category. The row "Pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside vehicles" accounted for 8 deaths, or 36.4%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

That quoted label represents the FARS nonoccupant grouping, including pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants. It is not a literal test of being outside a vehicle: the category can include occupants of parked motor vehicles. Readers using the phrase "truck accident lawyer" should keep these person categories distinct when reading the death counts.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The trucks involved

Fatal crashes in Union County involved 23 large trucks during 2020 through 2024. Truck-tractors, described in the table as semi or tractor-trailer units, numbered 12 and represented 52.2% of those large trucks. Single-unit and other large trucks numbered 11. The count of large trucks recorded as jackknifed was 0.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

These are vehicle counts, distinct from the 19 fatal crashes and 22 truck accident deaths recorded for the period. A crash can involve multiple large trucks. The truck-tractor percentage therefore describes the large trucks involved, rather than a share of crashes or people killed.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

Counts are trucks, not crashes. One crash can involve more than one large truck.

How the fatal truck crashes happened

Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. Angle (side impact) accounted for 6 deaths (27.3%), head-on for 1 (4.5%), rear-end for 4 (18.2%) and sideswipe for 1 (4.5%). "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" accounted for 10 (45.5%). This means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport, which can be stopped in traffic. Examples include striking a pedestrian, cyclist, parked vehicle or fixed object, or a rollover.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Separately, crash configuration groups truck accident deaths by vehicle count: single-vehicle crashes accounted for 10 deaths (45.5%), two-vehicle crashes for 7 (31.8%) and crashes involving three or more vehicles for 5 (22.7%). These configurations are separate from manner of collision.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Interstates, time of day and setting

Interstate-coded truck accident deaths numbered 6, or 27.3%. The listed route counts were 3 deaths on I-95 and 3 on I-78. These figures require ROUTE=1 and a parseable interstate route number in TWAY_ID; the listed routes are a route-coded subset, not a full road network.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime, from 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., accounted for 7 deaths (31.8%). Nighttime, from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., accounted for 15 (68.2%). The urban category recorded 22 deaths (100.0%), and the rural category recorded 0 (0.0%). Work-zone deaths numbered 1; that figure counts deaths rather than trucks or crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Truck accident death rate compared with New Jersey and the United States

Union County's truck accident death rate was 0.8 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. New Jersey's rate was also 0.8, while the national rate was 1.6. The corresponding death counts were 22 for Union County, 377 for New Jersey and 27,553 for the United States.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Among the listed neighboring counties, Middlesex County recorded 40 deaths and a rate of 0.9; Essex County recorded 27 deaths and a rate of 0.6. Union County's rate was lower than Middlesex County's and higher than Essex County's. These rates use the sum of annual Census population estimates to express average annual deaths per 100,000 residents. They do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates, so they show deaths per 100,000 residents per year. They do not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.

About these figures

FARS is NHTSA's census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Inclusion requires a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and an occupant or nonoccupant dying within 30 days. Counts follow the crash county, not where those killed lived. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded.^[9][6][7][8]

The 2020 through 2023 figures use FARS Final Files; 2024 uses the revisable Annual Report File. Rates divide deaths by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025 and multiply by 100,000. This gives average annual deaths per 100,000 residents without adjusting for miles driven or visitors. The separately displayed July 1, 2024 population estimate of 598,743 is not the rate denominator.^[9][6][7][8]

See also

• Truck accident statistics for Essex County, New Jersey (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for Middlesex County, New Jersey (2020-2024)