Unsanctioned NJ Car Meetup Turns Deadly

Car meetups are rarely deadly, but reckless driving at one New Jersey event led to the deaths of one passenger and one pedestrian. 
Written by Allison Stone
Reviewed by Serena Aburahma
Car meetups and car clubs can be a great way for
car owners
to meet automotive enthusiasts in their area. Unfortunately, a recent unsanctioned car meetup in New Jersey resulted in a fatal tragedy that took like lives of two attendees. 
According to
6abc.com
, the event was known as H2Oi and took place in Wildwood,
New Jersey
. The accident occurred when the driver of a 2003 Infiniti collided with a 2014 Honda Civic and two pedestrians. 
Read on with the car ownership experts at Jerry to learn more about the incident, and how to participate in car meetups safely.

Reckless driving at an unsanctioned car meetup 

Risky driving behaviors like
reckless driving
are dangerous no matter what, but an event like a car meetup can turn deadly fast.
The H2Oi gathering that took place in Wildwood has previously been held in Ocean City, Maryland, where it also erupted into chaos involving speeding cars and crashes. 
Wildwood authorities said that in the future, there would be a zero-tolerance policy for these kinds of car shows. 
The Cape May County Prosecutor, Jeffrey H Sutherland, released a statement that was reported by 6abc. 
“Directing hundreds if not thousands of people driving high-performance vehicles to an area without any planning, staging or permitting created the chaos that led to these deaths and injuries,” said Sutherland. 
“Anyone thinking of engaging in organizing any type of similar pop-up event is forewarned that there will be a swift and appropriate law enforcement and legal response.”
Sutherland went on to detail the dangers of reckless driving and compared it to the gravity of discharging a firearm. “The results are the same, death and injury. Further, the size and weight of a motor vehicle also results in the destruction of private and public property.”
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How to find safe car meetups

Thankfully, events like H2Oi are not the norm for car meetups. If you’re interested in finding in-person events to meet with other automotive enthusiasts or car collectors, a simple online search can be enough to point you in the right direction. 
“Cars and Coffee,” for example, is a global online car show community that has meetups all over the world. 
You can also attend a more formal event, like a car show. These will typically either be industry events that are sponsored by a specific brand looking to show off new models or will be a community-sourced event where local collectors gather to check out each other’s cars. 
You can also search for meetups based on your specific make or model of car. 
MORE: How to file a car accident claim report

Being insured for a car meetup

That being said, any event where a large number of drivers and pedestrians are occupying the same space does come with an elevated risk factor. If you plan on attending car meetups, make sure you have an
insurance policy
that has you covered. 
If you want cheap car insurance quotes fast, go to Jerry. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and can even help you cancel your old policy. Don’t lose coverage—find savings with Jerry. 
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