TOMS RIVER, NJ – The shore is a busy place in the summer, full of pedestrians, skateboarders, and bicyclists coming and going between the beach, the boardwalk, and local businesses and motels and hotels.
It has also been a very dangerous place over the past few years, but a new law that goes into effect today is hoping to fix that.
In addition to the “move over law” that protects emergency services vehicles, police, and firefighters, New Jersey drivers will now be responsible for safely passing pedestrians and bicyclists. With a rise in the number of pedestrians struck in New Jersey, many say the law is long overdue.
It’s not just for the Jersey Shore either. The law is a state law and also serves to protect pedestrians in New Jersey’s urban and rural communities.
“Starting today, the NJ Safe Passing Law goes into effect. This new law expands upon the Safe Passing Law for emergency vehicles to include pedestrians, bicyclists, scooters, etc,” Woodbury Township said in a statement today. “The new safe passing law requires drivers to move over one lane when passing if it is safe to do so, or allow four feet of space between the car and the person being passed. If that is not safe to do, it would require a driver to slow to 25 mph and pass slowly, if it is safe to do so.”
The operator of a motor vehicle approaching a pedestrian, bicycle, low-speed electric bicycle, low-speed electric scooter, or any other lawful personal conveyance located or operating in an area designated for pedestrians or those conveyances, as appropriate, on the roadways of this State shall approach with due caution and shall, absent any other direction by a law enforcement officer, proceed as follows:
(1) when possible under existing safety and traffic conditions, make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the pedestrian or personal conveyance;
(2) if a lane change cannot be made pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, leave a reasonable and safe distance of not less than four feet while approaching the pedestrian or personal conveyance and maintain a distance of at least four feet until the motor vehicle has safely passed the conveyance; or
(3) if it is not possible, prohibited by law, or unsafe to make a lane change pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection or to leave a reasonable and safe distance of not less than four feet pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the motor vehicle operator shall reduce the speed of the motor vehicle to 25 miles per hour or a lower posted speed and be prepared to stop; the operator may pass the pedestrian or personal conveyance only if, considering the size and speed of the motor vehicle, traffic conditions, weather, visibility, and the surface and width of the roadway, passing does not endanger the safety of a pedestrian, operator of the personal conveyance, or any other person on the roadway.