TRENTON, NJ – A new Assembly bill would require public agencies to redact personal information from vehicle accident reports released under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act.
The measure, A5575, sponsored by Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, sets penalties and access limits aimed at preventing misuse of data drawn from crash records.
Unredacted reports would be restricted to crash-involved individuals, their attorneys and insurers, and law enforcement acting within official duties.
Key Points
- Bill A5575 mandates redaction of personal identifiers and auto policy numbers on public crash reports
- Unredacted reports limited to parties to the crash, their lawyers and insurers, and law enforcement
- Civil penalties escalate to $5,000 for unauthorized public disclosure by authorized recipients
The proposal amends OPRA to remove from public copies any personal identifying information and auto insurance policy numbers contained in vehicle accident reports.
Who can access unredacted reports
Authorized access would cover individuals involved in the collision, attorneys representing a party, insurance companies handling related claims, and local, State, or federal law enforcement employees or agents working within the scope of duty.
Recipients could use unredacted data only for legal, investigatory, or insurance-related purposes, with public disclosure barred absent written consent from all parties or a legal next of kin for a deceased or incapacitated person.
Courts could impose civil penalties of $1,000 for a first offense, $2,500 for a second, and $5,000 for each subsequent offense on any authorized requester who knowingly and willfully discloses protected information to the public.
The bill directs records custodians to keep a log of every unredacted report issued, listing the requester, legal basis for access, and date, and to provide that log to the Government Records Council or Attorney General upon request during an investigation.
The legislation also updates statutory definitions to clarify that higher education records and OPRA exemptions encompass personal identifiers on crash reports while preserving access for specified parties under the new framework.
Enforcement and compliance details
A5575 preserves existing OPRA penalties for agencies that knowingly and willfully deny access unreasonably while adding sanctions for authorized recipients who disclose protected accident-report data publicly.
“Disclosure to the public” under the bill includes posting online, distributing through media, commercial sale, or other methods that make the information available to people not authorized by law to receive it.
Internal sharing among employees, agents, or contractors of an authorized attorney, insurer, or law enforcement agency would not count as public disclosure, provided the use remains tied to representation, claims processing, or accident investigation.
The act would take effect immediately upon enactment, applying prospectively to the handling and release of motor vehicle accident reports across New Jersey.
Supporters cite identity-theft risks and data-privacy concerns as the rationale for tightening access while maintaining pathways for courts, claims, and investigations.