NJ drivers must now change lanes when passing bicyclists, walkers

A new law forcing New Jersey drivers to change lanes when passing bicyclists, motorized vehicles, and pedestrians — if safe to do so — has gone into effect as of March 1st. 

The Safe Passing Law was passed Aug. 5th of last year and was set to take effect seven months later, meaning this past Tuesday.

Drivers who don’t follow the law face fines and possible motor vehicle points.

The new law says that a driver passing a pedestrian, bicycle, skateboard, or motorized vehicle must, “when possible under existing safety and traffic conditions, make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the pedestrian or personal conveyance.”

If a lane change isn’t safe at that time — for instance, on a one or two-lane road — the driver must “leave a reasonable and safe distance of not less than 4 feet while approaching the pedestrian or personal conveyance and maintain a distance of at least 4 feet until the motor vehicle has safely passed the conveyance.”

And if the 4-foot space is also not safe, the driver must slow to 25 miles per hour at most, and can only pass the pedestrian or vehicle if it doesn’t endanger anyone’s safety in the roadway.

The fine for failing to follow the law is $100 and no points off someone’s license. However, if the offense results in bodily injury, the person will be fined $500 and assessed two points.

New Jersey State Police statistics, as of Dec. 31, 2021 ,show a spike in motor vehicle crashes and deaths from 2019 to 2021 (not counting the pandemic year 2020). 

The number of driver deaths from 2019 to 2021 increased from 289 to 372 in the state, and pedestrian deaths from those crashes rose from 176 to 223 (including 6 children in 2021).

For cyclists, the numbers increased from 12 to 23 (including two children in 2021).

Overall, the number of deaths from crashes involving vehicles in the state, in each of the last three years, were: 558 in 2019; 587 in 2020 and 703 in 2021 (including 30 fatalities of people under 18 in 2021).