Most Morris Co. Drivers Are Speeding, NJ DOT Says

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey drivers go fast. Think about it: when road conditions on major highways are good, how often are you actually driving the speed limit? According to data released by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, probably not that often.

NJ DOT collects data on the average speeds on New Jersey roads, and it shows that the average speed actually driven is above the speed limit on most roads. The most recent data comes from 2017 and covers 91 different stretches of road, including three in Morris County.

Route 15 in Jefferson has a speed limit of 55 miles per hour, but the average driver is doing 63 miles per hour. About 92 percent of all drivers are going faster than the posted speed limit.

You're only supposed to go 65 miles per hour on Route 80 in Roxbury, but most drivers are going about 70 miles per hour. Roughly 90 percent of all cars are speeding.

The speeding continues on Route 287 in Harding, where 77 percent of all drivers are going over the 65 miles per hour speed limit. The average driver is traveling 69 miles per hour.

An important note about this data: because it's averages, the data covers times when the highways are bumper-to-bumper traffic, and times when reaching 90 miles per hour is possible. It does not differentiate between traffic-heavy speeds and clear roadway speeds, and data is only collected during the week.

The highest speed limit anywhere in New Jersey is 65 miles per hour, but most roads have posted speed limits under that.

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