Traffic Study

January 15, 2025

To our valued stakeholders of Sparta Township,

As promised, our department has completed Phase II of our crash study. The study date range for this period is the same as Phase I. It accounts for the time period of January 1, 2021, through June 15, 2024.

For this portion of the study, our department extracted data for the NJTR-1 Crash Reports to provide an analysis in the areas of

• Cause of the crash
• Location of the crash
• Date of the crash
• Age of the operator
• Road Condition
• Crash Type
• Number of passengers in the vehicle

The difference in the two studies

Phase I accounts for our officer's response to every reported motor vehicle crash during the study period.

Phase II accounts for what was an actual reported motor vehicle crash through an NJTR-1 report.

The overall difference in numbers for the two phases of this study is that in Phase I you will see a total of 2366 motor vehicle crashes that were reported and investigated by our department. In Phase II you will see a total of 2150 crashes that are listed and reported through an NJTR-1 Crash Report. There are several reasons for this difference.

There are times our officers respond to a call where someone has reported a motor vehicle crash, and upon officer arrival, all parties have left the scene. While there is a follow-up investigation from our officers, oftentimes the individuals involved have decided not to make a report because of minor or no damage to their vehicles, or there simply was no motor vehicle crash as reported.

• There are times when officers respond to a call for a motor vehicle crash, and upon officer arrival, it was discovered the crash occurred out of our jurisdiction. As we border many municipalities, this happens often. Our officers will assist with the crash, but the report is completed by the jurisdiction where it occurred.
• There are times when individuals report a motor vehicle crash to our department that have occurred in the past. In these cases, parties are informed of the right to fill out a "late accident report form" to submit to their insurance company.
•  There are times when our officers respond to a reported motor vehicle crash, and upon officer arrival and through investigation, it would be considered a motor vehicle incident rather than a reportable motor vehicle crash. The difference between the two is damage to property. If there is damage, it is reported as a motor vehicle crash. If there is no damage, it is reported as a motor vehicle incident.

Additionally, in Phase II of the study, we accounted for the exact location of the crash. Many crashes happen on private property as opposed to a public roadway. All crashes that occurred on private property are listed in the study as the exact location rather than just the road name of the location as it was in Phase I of the study.

To note again;

Why did we do this study?

• We understand the public is concerned about roadway safety.
• To see where we can focus as a department.
  1. Public awareness
  2. Enforcement efforts
• To pinpoint areas that may need improvement.
  1.  Roadway conditions
  2.  Signage
  3.  Sightline views
  4. Anything else
• Work with appropriate agencies to assist with improvement.
  1.  Sparta DPW
  2. County
  3. State

As I mentioned before, it is of the utmost importance to our department in playing our part to make the roadways as safe as possible for all stakeholders within our community. I would like to thank all our community's stakeholders for their continued support for our Police Department with its efforts in continuing to make our community a safe place to live, work, raise our families, and so much more. I would also like to thank the officers who put forth a great deal of effort in constructing this report for your review.

Sincerely, your Chief,
Jeffrey L. McCarrick
Chief of Police 
Sparta Township Police Department

Sparta Township Motor Vehicle Crash Report
January 1, 2021, to June 15, 2024

2150 Total Motor Vehicle Crashes Occurred during this timeframe

Top 10 Causes of Crashes

All Causes of Crashes

Top 10 Crashes by Roadway

Days Crashes Occurred

Age of Vehicle Operator

Each year most crashes occurred by operators between the age of 25-34 (335 of the 2150 or 15.58%)

Road Conditions

Each year most crashes occurred on a 'Dry' road condition (1743 of the 2150 or 81.07%)

Crash Type

Number of passengers in the vehicle

• Crashes that occurred with no passengers (1708 of the 2150 or 79.44%)
• Crashes that occurred with a single passengers (318 of the 2150 or 14.79%)
• Crashes that occurred with 2 or more passengers (124 of the 2150 or 5.77%)

Crash Data Related to DWI Arrests

This study includes data on crashes that resulted in DWI arrests; however, it is important to note that a DWI arrest does not necessarily indicate the DWI caused the crash. The data breakdown is as follows: