MONTCLAIR- NorthJersey.com reports that a man was fatally struck by two vehicles in Montclair Wednesday morning, October 31, 2018. The accident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Bloomfield Avenue. The victim, 52-year-old Samson Hum died at the scene of the pedestrian accident. The drivers of both of the vehicles that struck Hum both remained at […]
MONTCLAIR- NorthJersey.com reports that a man was fatally struck by two vehicles in Montclair Wednesday morning, October 31, 2018. The accident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Bloomfield Avenue. The victim, 52-year-old Samson Hum died at the scene of the pedestrian accident.
The drivers of both of the vehicles that struck Hum both remained at the site of the crash. The vehicles were identified as a Ford Focus and a Jeep Wrangler. As of Wednesday, no charges were filed in connection to the crash.
New Jersey is on track for another record-making year of pedestrian fatalities. In 2017, 183 people were killed in the state making it the deadliest year in more than two decades. So far in 2018, 117 people have been killed.
The increase in pedestrian fatalities mirrors the increases seen across the country. Between 2006 and 2016, the United States has experienced a 46 percent increase in pedestrian deaths.
New Jersey has been making efforts to reverse the trend. One method the state tried is to have all traffic lights turn red at an intersection at the same time and remain red for 26 seconds in order to let pedestrians cross in all directions. This method was used at a busy intersection that had experienced fatal pedestrian incidents in the past. No further incidents occurred after the changes were made.
The method was used beginning in the 1940s and has been shown to increase pedestrian safety. However, the all red-light pedestrian crossings were criticized for slowing down traffic. Traffic flow became a greater priority starting in the 1950s, and the result was higher numbers of pedestrians and cyclists getting killed at intersections.
