Essex County Is Home To One Of NJ's 'Angriest Commutes' To Work, Law Firm Says

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — One of New Jersey’s “angriest commutes” to work is located in Essex County, a recent poll says.

Munley Law, a personal injury law firm, surveyed 3,015 workers in the United States who drive to their jobs, asking them which roads they associate most with stress, frustration and aggressive driving.

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See the full list and learn about its methodology here.

Researchers broke their findings down on the state level, identifying the most rage-inducing commutes in New Jersey, which included a stretch of the NJ Turnpike in Newark approaching New York City.

The top three spots in New Jersey were:

• Garden State Parkway (Raritan Toll Plaza) in Woodbridge – “The Raritan Toll Plaza remains a central chokepoint on the Garden State Parkway. Even with electronic toll collection easing some delays, peak travel periods – especially busy beach weekends – see backups that stretch for miles. The basic challenge is straightforward: high volumes of vehicles squeezed into a limited number of lanes at a critical midpoint in the state.”
• Route 4 and I-95 approaches (George Washington Bridge approach) in Fort Lee – “The New Jersey approach to the George Washington Bridge is regularly cited as one of the country's worst traffic bottlenecks. Lanes narrow as large volumes of regional and interstate traffic converge on a river crossing whose footprint has not significantly changed since construction. Backups often extend for miles in both directions, making this a highly predictable delay point.”
• NJ Turnpike (exit 14 area) in Newark – “Near exit 14, the New Jersey Turnpike brings together airport traffic, port activity, and commuter flows toward New York City. A dense network of ramps and interchanges serves Newark Liberty International Airport and nearby shipping terminals, creating complex merging and weaving patterns. Heavy truck traffic and frequent lane changes keep this segment busy throughout much of the day.”

“Road rage, of course, rarely explodes out of nowhere,” researchers said. “It accumulates - one abrupt lane-cut, one cryptic detour sign, one inexplicable slowdown at a merge – until the entire stretch of road becomes emotionally charged.”

“We hear these stories all the time from people involved in collisions – not because they were doing anything reckless, but because the road itself had become a pressure point,” Jack Cartwright of Munley Law said.

“When traffic is unpredictable, and everyone’s on edge, small mistakes can snowball quickly,” Cartwright said.

>> Related: Road Rage: What Should You Do? Prosecutor Shares Tips

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