SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
[First Reprint]
ASSEMBLY, No. 4813
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 8, 2025
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4813 (1R).
As amended, this bill requires an operator of a motor vehicle (operator) who is approaching a stationary vehicle that is displaying flashing or blinking lights to approach the stationary vehicle with due caution and to: (1) move over to a lane that is not adjacent to the stationary vehicle; or (2) reduce the speed of the motor vehicle and to be prepared to stop. Under the bill, “vehicle” means every device in, upon, or by which a person or property is or may be transported upon a highway, except for devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks, low-speed electric bicycles, low-speed electric scooters, and motorized bicycles.
Under current law, an operator is required to change lanes or to reduce the speed of the vehicle and be prepared to stop when approaching stationary authorized emergency vehicles, tow trucks, highway maintenance or emergency service vehicles, sanitation vehicles displaying certain lights, and disabled vehicles flashing hazard warning signal lights or utilizing road flares or reflective triangles.
In addition, the bill requires the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety (director) to inform the general public, via a public awareness campaign, of the importance of changing lanes or reducing speed and being prepared to stop when approaching any stationary vehicle that is displaying flashing or blinking lights, the risks associated with the failure to do so, and any penalties and fines that are imposed for failure to change lanes or reduce speed.
Finally, the bill requires the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the director, to include in the driver’s manual information on the importance of changing lanes or reducing speed and being prepared to stop when an operator approaches a stationary vehicle displaying flashing or blinking lights.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amended the bill to:
(1) specify that an operator of a motor vehicle is required to move over to a lane that is not adjacent to the stationary vehicle or reduce the speed of the motor vehicle and be prepared to stop when approaching a stationary vehicle that is displaying flashing or blinking lights;
(2) provide that an operator of a motor vehicle is not to be assessed motor vehicle penalty points unless the stationary vehicle is displaying flashing or blinking lights, in accordance with this bill, at the time of the third or subsequent violation;
(3) require the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety to inform the general public, via a public awareness campaign, of the importance of changing lanes or reducing speed and being prepared to stop when approaching stationary vehicles that are displaying flashing or blinking lights, the risks associated with the failure to do so, and any penalties and fines that are imposed for failure to change lanes or reduce speed when approaching such vehicles;
(4) require the Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, in consultation with the director, to include in the driver’s manual information on the importance of changing lanes or reducing speed and being prepared to stop when a driver approaches a stationary vehicle displaying flashing or blinking lights;
(5) revise the title and synopsis to reflect changes in the bill; and
(6) make technical changes.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) expects that the bill will result in an annual indeterminate increase in State and local revenues. By expanding the scope of stationary vehicles for which the operator of a vehicle is required to approach with due caution, the bill is expected to increase the number of related traffic violations, thereby increasing traffic fee collections. The OLS is unable to predict the number of additional traffic violations that would occur as a result of the bill. When a person is fined for a motor vehicle violation, the fine collections are either retained by the State or divided equally between the host municipality and host county depending on whether the fine was imposed by a State or local law enforcement officer. Accordingly, the impact of increased fine collections would be spread between the State, counties, and municipalities.
Additionally, the OLS concludes that the bill may result in an indeterminate increase in State expenditures, during the first year following enactment, due to the requirement to update the public awareness campaign established by the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety to reflect the importance of approaching certain vehicles with due caution in certain situations. Because the public awareness campaign already emphasizes the importance of approaching certain vehicles with due caution, the OLS anticipates that any potential cost increase would be marginal in nature.
Lastly, the OLS concludes that the bill may result in indeterminate increase in State expenditures, during the first year following enactment, due to the requirement to update the State driver’s manual distributed by the New Jersy Motor Vehicle Commission to reflect the importance of approaching certain vehicles with due caution in certain situations outlined in the bill.