New 4-Way Stop Installed At Beers, Clark Streets In Hazlet

HAZLET, NJ - A new four-way stop has successfully been installed this week in Hazlet, authorities said.

The stop has been added at the intersection of Beers and Clark Streets, Hazlet police wrote Monday. The new traffic pattern comes after a study revealed 30 accidents in the immediate area occurred in the last five years.

"Over the past few years we have responded to numerous car accidents at this location, many of which resulted in injury or were severe enough to require vehicles [to] be towed from the scene," Hazlet police wrote in a statement last month. "This caused us to investigate further and work with Keyport PD to compile crash data."

According to the statement, Safety Officer Patrick Wood recently conducted an in-depth traffic study which revealed that, over a five-year period, 30 accidents occurred at the intersection. The accident data additionally showed that 21 of the 30 accidents resulted in injuries and 22 of the 30 accidents resulted in vehicles being towed from the scene.

The Hazlet Township Police Department alerted motorists to the new traffic change on May 3, warning drivers to proceed with caution, even if it is their turn to proceed forward. Police also reminded residents that pedestrians always have the right-of-way and that each driver arriving at a four-way stop must first come to a stop, with one driver proceeding at a time.

“Please be aware some drivers will ignore all the rules of the four-way stop and mistakenly assume that they have the right of way,” police wrote. “Even if it is your legal turn to proceed forward, always do so with caution, being wary of impatient drivers who may be too hasty to wait another ten seconds for you to clear the intersection.”