A new report shows a drop in deaths from motorcycle accidents in New Jersey – a change that’s good news for both riders and safety advocates. “I think it’s great,” Barbara Borowiec, a South Jersey motorcycle dealer, said of the statistics released last week by New Jersey State Police. She noted the downturn in deaths has occurred even as more motorcycles and other vehicles take to the state’s crowded roads.

Overall, 68 people died in motorcycle crashes across the Garden State last year, says the State Police report. That death toll, which includes one pedestrian, is down from 82 fatalities in 2008 and 87 in 2007. It’s well below the 103 motorcycle-related deaths recorded in 2006.

The report was released on Wednesday, one day after the National Transportation Safety Board urged all states to adopt “universal” laws that would require anyone riding on a motorcycle to wear a helmet that meets federal standards.

New Jersey already has such a law as part of its motorcycle safety program, noted Mike Horan, a spokesman for the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission. Full story in APP.