Diegnan Bill Requiring Driver Education of Safe Passing Laws Passed by Senate
June 30, 2025, 12:54 pm | in
TRENTON – Aiming to promote street safety and ensure knowledge of a driver’s responsibilities, the Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senator Patrick Diegnan that would require the inclusion of information pertaining to safe passing in the examination for a driving permit, the curriculum in driving courses, and in the provision of an informational brochure to the parents and guardians of new drivers.
In recent years, deaths of pedestrians and cyclists on New Jersey roads have been increasing. According to data from the New Jersey State Police, pedestrian deaths hit 223 in 2024, the highest number since 1988. For this reason, Senator Diegnan championed a bill creating the Target Zero Commission, which Governor Murphy signed into law in early January, and is tasked with developing an action plan to improve safety and reduce deaths, assist municipalities in developing their own plans, and work towards ultimately ending deaths and serious injuries on New Jersey roadways by 2040.
“In 2022, we passed the Safe Passing Law to better protect pedestrians, cyclists, and other roadway users from the threat of motor vehicle accidents,” said Senator Diegnan, Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee (D-Middlesex). “It is important that drivers are aware of what their responsibilities are and how to adhere to the law. This bill will make sure that they are made aware as early as possible, and in doing so make our state’s roads safer.”
The bill, S-4146, would require that information pertaining to a driver’s responsibilities under current law when approaching and passing a pedestrian or person operating a bicycle or personal conveyance on the roadway and the penalties for failing to comply be included in the written knowledge examination for a driving permit, the driving course curriculum, in the informational brochure distributed to the parents and guardians of new drivers, and in the driver’s manual. It would also add information instructing non-motorist users of roadways on the proper procedures while sharing roadways with motorists.
The requirements of the Safe Passing Law provide that when a motorist is passing a pedestrian or person utilizing a personal conveyance, such as a bicycle or motorized wheelchair, they must:
• move over a lane, if possible;
• allow at least four feet of space when passing on a single-lane road; or
• slow to 25 MPH and be prepared to stop if four feet is not possible.
