RideWise releases Street Smart North Plainfield report

Pedestrians were 13 percent more likely to obey traffic laws after North Plainfield’s Street Smart pedestrian safety campaign than they were beforehand. This is according to a report released this week by RideWise – a partner in the campaign.

In November of 2016, the Borough of North Plainfield became the first municipality in Somerset County to partner with RideWise and conduct a full Street Smart campaign. Street Smart is a statewide initiative to promote safe travel behavior through education and enforcement of pedestrian and motor vehicle laws. The campaign was developed by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), the metropolitan planning organization for northern and central New Jersey.

RideWise staff observed one of the most crash-prone intersections in the Borough both before and after the campaign to measure its impact. Then, throughout the month of November, North Plainfield police hit the streets, educating a total of 165 pedestrians and motorists about their behavior, and warning them about traffic law violations. Along with RideWise, police also promoted the campaign message by visiting local businesses, distributing educational materials, and hanging campaign posters at key points around town.

Compared to the rest of Somerset County, North Plainfield experiences a disproportionately high rate of pedestrian-motorist crashes. According to police reports, motor vehicle crashes caused 26 pedestrian injuries and three pedestrian fatalities in North Plainfield from 2012 to 2014. This translates to about nine pedestrian injuries and one pedestrian fatality every year.

The Street Smart campaign was a targeted effort to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities resulting from pedestrian-motorist crashes in the Borough. To learn more about the campaign, visit bestreetsmartnj.org, Facebook (StreetSmartNJ), or Twitter (@njstreetsmart).