Rt. 1 Car Fatalities Down 20 Percent From 2024, County Says

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — Rt. 1, one of New Jersey's most hated — and deadliest — roadways has become markedly safer in the past two years.

And that's largely thanks to the Rt. 1 Safer Travel Initiative, launched last year by former Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. The Middlesex County Prosecutor launched the Safer Travel Initiative after rising deaths on that road.

Motor vehicle fatalities on Rt. 1 dropped from 60 fatalities in 2024 to 48 fatalities in 2025, a 20-percent decrease. That category includes people walking along Rt. 1 who are hit by cars.

Fatal car accidents also dropped, although not as much: There were 54 fatal crashes in 2024 on Rt. 1, which fell to 48 last year, an 11-percent reduction.

This data was announced March 6 by Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera, who said she is continuing Ciccone's initiative to make Rt. 1 safer.

In the past two years, the county prosecutor directed local police departments in towns along Rt. 1 to launch high-visibility patrols on the roadway. The public likely noticed high-visibility police cars stationed in Woodbridge, Edison, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick and Plainsboro. The officers were looking for speeders, aggressive driving, including people tailgating, and people on their phone (distracted driving), said the prosecutor.

In 2025, these patrols yielded a total of 320 traffic stops, resulting in 306 summonses.

So far this year, Rt. 1 has had four fatal crashes in 2026.

The prosecutor said police from those towns will be assigned back out on Rt. 1, particularly in what the county says are "high-incident crash corridors."

U.S. Route 1 remains a primary focus due to its congestion, high commercial traffic volume and history of serious crashes, said Estremera.