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On January 6, 2022, Thursday around 11:30 AM a man was struck by a car while crossing at the intersection of East Hanover and Speedwell Avenue. The man was alert and conscious and reported minor injuries by EMT as he was transported to the hospital.
This incident reveals the dangers of East Hanover intersections, and further analysis of accident and fatality reports at many of East Hanover’s intersections reveals that the roadway is one of the most dangerous in Morris County.
Accidents and fatalities in Morris County have been trending downward for the last 20 years.
The intersection at Hanover and Speedwell sees about 11 accidents per year.
The East Hanover and Martin Luther King intersection have about 6 accidents per year.
Hanover and Ridgedale Avenue intersection sees 8 accidents per year.
Most of these crashes result in only property damage with no fatalities or major injuries. The most common property damage is a result of rear-ending at one of the above intersections.
Continually, most of these crashes (29%) occur between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 PM. The next most common time for an accident is between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00 PM (18%), and 6:00 to 9:00 AM (16.5%).
You may assume road conditions have a major impact on reported crashes, however, an analysis of crash statistics revealed that 82% of crashes occur when the roads are dry.
Pedestrians were struck most often (48%) while crossing where prohibited. While 20% of car-on-pedestrian collisions took place inside marked crosswalks.
The cause of accidents was mostly due to driver inattention (28%) or pedestrian violation (23%) such as crossing roadways were prohibited.
Morris County released a 2013 traffic study of East Hanover Avenue and its intersections which included identifications of danger zones.
The results show that many sidewalk conditions make pedestrian activity along the roadway exceedingly unsafe.
Along with the 2013 East Hanover report, a plan for the improvement of pedestrian walkways and road conditions was proposed in three separate budgets:
- a low-level improvement of roadways for $270,000;
- a moderate improvement of roadways for $6,225,000;
- and a significant improvement plan for East Hanover with a budget between $6,370,000 and $11,110,000.
This 2013 report is likely a partial cause of the recent crosswalk improvement projects taking place throughout Morristown. The town plans to enact parts of all three budget proposals, identifying the areas that require the most significant improvements and allocating resources to these areas.
With this in mind, the East Hanover and Speedwell Avenue intersection will likely see the most significant improvement work in the coming years.
Have you had a scary experience at one of the above-mentioned intersections? What would you like to see our town officials do to remedy the dangers of East Hanover Avenue intersections? Let us know in the comments below. Be safe on the roads Morristown.
