8 Killed On White Horse Pike In 2023; County, State To Begin New Safety Initiative

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The state and Camden County will launch a traffic-safety initiative on a notoriously dangerous highway.

The state attorney general and Camden County Prosecutor's Office will spearhead a plan to reduce accidents on the White Horse Pike and improve pedestrian safety.

Eight people, including five pedestrians and one bicyclist, died in crashes last year on the White Horse Pike, officials said. Last week, an intoxicated driver caused a collision that killed a man and put four others in critical condition, according to the prosecutor's office.

Under the new safety initiative, county and state officials will coordinate with the 14 local police agencies located throughout the White Horse Pike corridor in Camden County. The state's Division of Highway Safety will allocate greater resources to support and collaborate with communities for safer driving. Initiatives will include efforts to address aggressive and distracted driving, while also focusing on seatbelt safety and pedestrian safety.

Many deadly accidents on the White Horse Pike could have been prevented, according to County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay.

"We have noticed a common theme in these crashes: distracted driving and disregarding the speed limit," MacAulay said. "Too often drivers are looking at their cellphones and ignoring the speed limit, resulting in catastrophe."

Since 2010, there have been 11,251 crashes on the White Horse Pike, including 3,894 that caused injuries and 80 fatal incidents, according to the NJ Department of Transportation. More than 7,000 of those collisions involved distracted or inattentive driving, while 692 involved unsafe speed.

Crashes and pedestrian deaths on the state highway have increased over the last four years, officials said.

The White Horse Pike is part of Route 30 — a highway that spans the nation. The New Jersey portion spans from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Camden to Virginia Avenue in Atlantic City.