A recent report claiming that Lakewood has a higher traffic fatality rate than the New Jersey average appears to be based on a major population error that dramatically changes the conclusion.

The Shore News Network article, citing a study by Injury Attorney of Dallas, reported that Lakewood had 27 traffic deaths from 2020 through 2024, or an average of 5.4 fatalities per year. Based on that figure, the article claimed Lakewood’s annual traffic fatality rate was 7.76 deaths per 100,000 residents, higher than New Jersey’s statewide rate of 6.79 per 100,000. It further claimed Lakewood residents face a roughly 1 in 165 lifetime risk of dying in a crash.

But that calculation appears to use the wrong Lakewood. The 7.76-per-100,000 figure lines up with a population of roughly 69,000 people — the population of the Lakewood census-designated place, or CDP. The U.S. Census Bureau lists the Lakewood CDP population at 69,398 in the 2020 Census. But the traffic fatalities being discussed are for Lakewood Township, not just the smaller CDP area.

Lakewood Township’s population is much larger. Census Reporter, using 2024 ACS data, lists Lakewood Township at 141,995 residents, and other Census-based reporting has placed the township at about 142,000 residents in 2024.

That matters because fatality rates are calculated by dividing annual deaths by population. If Lakewood had 27 traffic deaths over five years, that equals 5.4 deaths per year. Using the township’s actual population — roughly 139,000 to 142,000 residents — Lakewood’s annual fatality rate is about 3.8 to 3.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, not 7.76.

That is not a minor correction. It completely reverses the story. Instead of being about 14% more dangerous than the New Jersey average, Lakewood is actually about 42% safer than the statewide average of 6.79 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents, based on the corrected population figure.

The original report also framed Lakewood as an “outlier” within one of the safest states in the country for drivers and suggested that rapid growth, congestion and pedestrian activity may be contributing to elevated local risk. But that conclusion depends on the inflated fatality rate. Once the correct township population is used, Lakewood no longer appears to exceed the state average at all.

The corrected numbers show a very different picture: Lakewood’s fatality rate is not higher than New Jersey’s. It is substantially lower.

Shore News Network has not issued a correction.