Law Enforcement Targeting Reckless Drivers On Route 539

By PATRICIA A. MILLER (Patch Staff)

Area police departments and Ocean County law enforcement are increasing patrols on Route 539 after a number of serious traffic accidents on the road this year.

The road, 38 miles of which is in Ocean County, passes through eight municipalities, including Manchester Township. There have been 14 fatal crashes on the road since February, officials said.

Four of those fatalities were on a 5-mile stretch of the highway that runs through Lacey Township. Lacey Police Chief David A. Paprota, in a posting on the department’s website, said local towns and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office are conducting the enhanced patrols, targeting speeding, reckless driving and more.

Four crashes occurred in the span of a week and two of them involved drivers illegally passing multiple cars on the road, which has a single lane in each direction and a 55-mph speed limit.

“With violators exceeding the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit and aggressively passing slower vehicles, there is significant danger posed to others, as there is no room for error since the dirt portion of the shoulder of the roadway is mostly very soft and loose sand,” Paprota said.

Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, said earlier this month that the issue comes down to people slowing down and learning to be patient.

“It’s an issue that the police can’t fix, that DOT (the Department of Transportation) can’t fix,” he said. “People have to drive responsibly.”

Center line rumble strips will be installed to warn motorists who drift into or cross the line into oncoming traffic. Traffic warning signs will be positioned along Route 539 throughout Ocean County, Paprota said.

(A dump truck overturned when its driver lost control on Route 539. No one was injured in that incident. Credit: Manchester Township Police)