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A Consumer Affairs report ranks Asbury Park at the bottom of the safe driving communities list.

The report, based on 2014 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is the most up to date figures available, according to spokeswoman Kay Evans, a content marketing specialist.

The report’s calculation is based per capita data in relation to driving under the influence, distracted driving, speeding and fatality figures.

Asbury Park rated the fourth worst community in the state, with Westville ranked third, Absecon second and Belmar landing at the bottom of the list.

“There was a population of 15,789 and there were 3 overall driving fatalities,” Evans said of the Asbury Park totals. “To even the playing field for all sizes of communities, the data is averaged on a 100K person population. That way, we can rank larger cities next to smaller cities and know that the rank is correct.”

The top three safe communities in the state are Jersey City, followed by Elizabeth and Bayonne.

Nationwide there were 6.1 million police-reported crashes in 2014, with 32,675 people killed and 2.3 million injured in motor vehicle crashes. The data shows that 31% of fatalities were alcohol-related, 28% were caused by speeding, and 10% of fatalities were caused by distracted driving.

The data is meant to help insurance buyers make informed decisions based on the assessment of risk where they live, Consumer Affairs CEO Zac Caman said.

“Although every driver in the United States is required to purchase a certain amount of liability insurance, there are thousands of auto insurance policies and providers from which they can choose, all with varying cost and amount of coverage,” Caman said. “This tool will help consumers assess the level of risk other drivers on the road present to them and choose their policies accordingly.”

Last month, the Asbury Park City Council approved an application to the state Department of Transportation [DOT] for local bicycle and pedestrian planning assistance.

The program provides free consultant services to communities who show a need for such services related to capital improvements planning for non-motorized modes of transportation.

“The program is a 100 percent technical assistance program,” City Planner Michele Alonso said. “The DOT provides us with the planning and engineering staff to meet with ourselves and the community to develop a bicycle plan. The Council will be involved, the community will be involved. The timing is dovetailing very well right now because we can incorporate it into the master plan.”

The municipality is currently looking to update its master plan, the long-range vision plan that guides the appropriate use of lands within a municipality. The city’s master plan was last updated in 2006.

Also, a group of citizens have organized a Complete Streets Coalition, working to help shape and design safe and efficient roadways for commuters who travel via car, bike, foot, or skateboard. The grassroots committee is led by Pam Lamberton, Doug McQueen, Joe Grillo, Paula “Polli” Schildge, and Michael Kushner.

“If you plan a thoroughfare and it is designed for automobiles only and in that design the goal is to get automobiles from point A to point B as quickly as possible then that is what you are going to get,” Lamberton has said. “There is no accommodation for pedestrians and no accommodation for bicycles, those most vulnerable people in the city are going to be at the mercy of automobiles.”

The group will be among those participating in this Sunday’s annual Asbury Park St. Patrick’s Day parade kicking off at 12:45 at the corner of Kingsley and Fourth avenues.

For more information, visit the Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition Facebook page.

For more information about the Consumer Affairs report, visit the web page here.

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

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