Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced the traffic safety detail, comprised of members of the prosecutor's office, Lakewood Township Police and New Jersey State Police, will begin Thursday, Dec. 7, and continue through Saturday, Dec. 16, targeting aggressive driving, driving under the influence and more.
There have been 13 fatal accidents in Lakewood in 2017, and numerous serious accidents as well, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office. That is what prompted the formation of the safety detail. The prosecutor's office has teamed up with other jurisdictions on traffic safety details in the past, most notably along Route 539, which traverses several towns from Little Egg Harbor to the border with Monmouth County.
The detail will target the following intersections and roads that have seen a high rate of fatal crashes in recent months, Della Fave said:
Cedar Bridge Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard
Route 9 and County Road 526 (County Line Road)
Route 70
Route 88.
While the accident that killed Hadassah Krohn, 3, occurred when she rode her bicycle into the path of the pickup truck, other crashes, including the one that killed German Alonso Velasquez Gonzalez of Toms River in late October, were blamed on aggressive driving.
Velasquez Gonzalez, 41, was killed in a head-on collision on Route 88 after he sped away from the scene of a crash where authorities said he rear-ended a car. Velasquez Gonzalez hit a total of three cars in the two accidents, and eight people were injured, authorities said.
"The Policing Partnership details have managed to raise significant awareness among the motoring public regarding roadway safety issues, but more important it has led to coordinated efforts by Ocean County law enforcement to take important steps toward making commuting Ocean County roadways safer," Coronato said.
In addition to the Route 539 detail, there have been enforcement details on Route 528, which runs from Jackson to Brick, and on Route 35, which runs from Point Pleasant Beach to Island Beach State Park.
"The partnership logistics and plans having been worked out for our prior CR539. CR528 and Route 35 details insures the coordinated enforcement element can be quickly reinstituted to address the above increased reports of accidents and dangerous driving behaviors," Coronato said.
This enforcement initiative will bring strict and aggressive traffic enforcement of the various moving and equipment violations that are contributory causes to crashes, Della Fave said. That includes driving under the influence, aggressive drivers, improper turning, failing to yield, failing to keep right, improper passing, inattentive driving, disregard of traffic signal, excessive speed, following too close, and pedestrian violations, he said. Commercial carrier violations such as overweight loads, equipment maintenance and brake pressure also will be targeted, he said.
Della Fave said the participating agencies will also utilize Automated License Plate Reader to identify those operating illegally.
Variable message signs were expected to be placed on Monday, carrying the words, "Traffic Enforcement Detail in Effect"— "Obey All Traffic Laws." Ocean County Prosecutor's Office personnel assigned to the detail will utilize unmarked police vehicles.
"We continue to ask the motoring public to police themselves by simply driving responsibly," the prosecutor's office said.
https://patch.com/new-jersey/lakewood-nj/traffic-safety-crackdown-set-lakewood-roads-prosecutor