Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · NEW JERSEY · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
49 CRASHES IN
NEW JERSEY
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, New Jersey experienced 49 fatal crashes, a decrease of 16.95% compared to the 59 fatal crashes recorded in September 2022. The number of fatalities also saw a significant reduction, falling from 68 in the prior period to 49 in the current period, representing a 27.94% decrease. This notable decline in both fatal crashes and fatalities is the most significant year-over-year shift.
49
▼ -16.9%was 59
Total Crash Events
49
▼ -27.9%was 68
Persons Killed
31
▼ -45.6%was 57
Persons Injured
4
▼ -55.6%was 9
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (49) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (49) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
The overall trend for September shows a decrease in fatal crashes and fatalities year-over-year. Fatal crashes declined by 16.95%, from 59 in September 2022 to 49 in September 2023. Similarly, the total number of fatalities decreased by 27.94%, from 68 to 49, indicating a positive trend in traffic safety outcomes for the month.
4
Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2023
▼ -55.6% vs prior (9)
The number of fatal hit-and-run crashes decreased from 9 in September 2022 to 4 in September 2023. Correspondingly, the hit-and-run rate among fatal crashes also decreased from 15.3% to 8.2%. This indicates a downward trend in fatal hit-and-run incidents year-over-year.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
15
Pedestrians Killed
6
Cyclists Killed
27
Motorists Killed
1
Other Killed
1
Pedestrians Injured
2
Cyclists Injured
28
Motorists Injured
0
Other Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The temporal patterns for fatal crashes shifted year-over-year. In September 2023, Wednesday was the peak day with 10 fatal crashes, while in September 2022, Monday had the highest count with 13 fatal crashes. The peak hour also changed, with 7 PM recording the most fatal crashes (6) in the current period, compared to 9 PM (5 fatal crashes) in the prior period.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather decreased from 53 in September 2022 to 37 in September 2023, while those in rainy conditions increased from 6 to 10. Regarding lighting, fatal crashes in daylight decreased from 26 to 20, and those in dark conditions (lighted and unlighted combined) decreased from 23 to 16. However, fatal crashes during dusk increased from 2 to 5.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
The total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 88 in September 2022 to 68 in September 2023. Toyota vehicles involved in fatal crashes saw a significant decrease from 11 to 4, and Honda vehicles decreased from 10 to 5. Ford vehicles also decreased from 10 to 7, while Nissan/Datsun remained stable at 5 vehicles.
Top Vehicle Makes (68 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
4 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (118 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes in speed zones of 25 mph increased from 14 in September 2022 to 17 in September 2023, and 30 mph zones saw an increase from 1 to 2. Conversely, fatal crashes in higher speed zones generally decreased, with 35 mph zones falling from 8 to 4, 45 mph zones from 7 to 2, and 65 mph zones from 6 to 3. Fatal crashes in 50 mph zones remained stable at 8.
Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 17 of 17 (100%) · 30 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 35 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 40 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 45 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 50 mph: 8 of 8 (100%) · 55 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 65 mph: 3 of 3 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of fatal collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', which increased from 35 crashes in September 2022 to 38 in September 2023. Fatal angle collisions decreased from 14 to 7, and front-to-rear collisions decreased from 5 to 2. Fatal front-to-front collisions also decreased from 3 to 1.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The most frequent vehicle body type involved in fatal crashes in both periods was '4-door sedan, hardtop', which decreased from 25 in September 2022 to 16 in September 2023. 'Compact Utility' vehicles also saw a decrease from 18 to 13. 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' involvement remained stable at 10 fatal crashes in both periods, representing a notable share given the high fatality risk.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 16 reported. 7 additional (7 total) not shown: Unknown body type, Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Other or Unknown automobile type, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.), Station Wagon (excluding van and truck based), Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight), 2-door sedan,hardtop,coupe.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
The number of fatal crashes on urban trafficways decreased from 48 in September 2022 to 41 in September 2023. Fatal crashes on rural trafficways also decreased, from 11 to 6. In the current period, rural fatal crashes accounted for 6 out of 47 categorized crashes (12.8%), compared to 11 out of 59 (18.6%) in the prior period, indicating a decrease in rural crash share.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Fatal crashes on 'Other Principal Arterial' roadways increased from 15 in September 2022 to 21 in September 2023. Conversely, 'Minor Arterial' fatal crashes decreased from 15 to 11, and 'Major Collector' fatal crashes decreased from 9 to 4. Fatal crashes on Interstate roadways decreased from 3 to 2.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies saw an increase in fatal crashes on their roadways, from 17 in September 2022 to 21 in September 2023. County Highway Agencies experienced a decrease in fatal crashes from 21 to 15. Fatal crashes on City or Municipal Highway Agency roads also decreased from 12 to 9.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes decreased from 88 in September 2022 to 68 in September 2023. Passengers involved in fatal crashes also decreased from 48 to 27. Pedestrians involved in fatal crashes decreased from 22 to 16, while bicyclists involved increased from 3 to 8, representing a notable increase for this vulnerable user group.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of persons fatally injured (K) decreased from 68 in September 2022 to 49 in September 2023. Seriously injured (A) persons decreased from 18 to 8, and minor injuries (B) decreased from 22 to 9. Conversely, persons with possible injuries (C) increased from 4 to 7, and those with no injuries (O) increased from 36 to 40.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of vehicle occupants using 'Shoulder and Lap Belt Used' in fatal crashes increased from 35 in September 2022 to 52 in September 2023. Concurrently, those with 'None Used/Not Applicable' decreased significantly from 48 to 25. This suggests a positive shift towards increased safety equipment usage among occupants in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' (front impact) remained the dominant point of impact in fatal crashes, decreasing from 41 instances in September 2022 to 34 in September 2023. Fatal crashes involving a '3 Clock Point' (right side) impact increased from 4 to 6. Impacts at the '6 Clock Point' (rear impact) decreased from 6 to 4.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 4 smaller categories (5 records): Non-Collision (2), Right (1), 5 Clock Point (1), 7 Clock Point (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
The number of single-vehicle fatal crashes remained stable at 31 in both September 2022 and September 2023. Fatal crashes involving two vehicles decreased significantly from 25 to 13. However, crashes involving three vehicles increased from 2 to 3, and those with four vehicles increased from 1 to 2.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: New Jersey
- Total crash records analyzed: 49
- Total persons involved: 120
- Total vehicles involved: 68
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "New Jersey Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/new-jersey/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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