Summer has arrived and the City is seeing an influx of pedestrians and micromobility users sharing the roadways with motor vehicles. As you move about the City, please keep in mind the NJ Safe Passing Law (NJSPL) (A5570/S2208).
The law provides clear rules of the road for all motorists about when, and how, to pass people sharing the road who are on foot, on bicycles, on scooters, in wheelchairs or in other legally permitted ways to travel.
Drivers must use “due caution” whenever they encounter vulnerable people on the road. The law states:
- Drivers must move over a lane (if there’s one to move into) while following all current no passing and no speeding laws.
- On a single-lane road, drivers must allow at least a 4-foot safety zone when they pass a vulnerable road user.
- If 4 feet is not possible on a section of road, drivers must slow to 25 mph and be prepared to stop until they can pass safely without endangering those sharing the road.
Additionally, motorists in New Jersey must stop for pedestrians in a marked crosswalk with the exception of crosswalks at signalized intersections.
