Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera announced today that the Route 1 Safer Travel Initiative has contributed to a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and fatal crashes across Middlesex County.

Motor vehicle fatalities declined from 60 fatalities in 2024 to 48 fatalities in 2025, a 20 percent decrease. Fatal crashes also fell from 54 crashes to 48 crashes, an 11 percent reduction. The initiative was launched in response to rising roadway deaths and uses data-driven enforcement and interagency collaboration to address dangerous driving behaviors.

U.S. Route 1 remains a primary focus due to its congestion, high commercial traffic volume, and history of serious crashes. However, enforcement efforts will continue throughout Middlesex County. Since four fatal crashes have been recorded thus far this year. Participating agencies will increase enforcement and expand high-visibility patrols into additional areas identified as high-incident crash corridors.

On Friday, January 30, 2026, high-visibility patrols took place all along Route 1 in Woodbridge, Edison, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, and Plainsboro. These patrols yielded 320 traffic stops resulting in 306 summonses being issued.

The initiative was launched in response to rising roadway deaths and brings together the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in Woodbridge, Edison, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, and Plainsboro. These departments have joined together to form a multi-jurisdictional task force that conducts high-visibility traffic enforcement.

Enforcement efforts focus on the most dangerous driving behaviors, including excessive speeding, aggressive driving, and distracted driving. Data from NJDOT, motor vehicle crash reports, traffic citations, and other sources are used to identify high-incident crash corridors and guide both enforcement activity and safety-related infrastructure improvements.

The Route 1 Safer Travel Initiative aligns with Middlesex County’s Vision Zero Action Plan, the first countywide Vision Zero plan in New Jersey. Middlesex County was recognized with the State of New Jersey’s Complete Streets Excellence Award in 2023 for its leadership in advancing transportation safety.

For more information, visit middlesexcountynj.gov/prosecutor.