Those Injured in New Jersey Crashes Could Gain New Legal Protections
New Jersey lawmakers want to give crash survivors and their families the same rights as violent crime victims. The Traffic Crash Victims Bill of Rights would provide compensation, transparency, and procedural rights to motor vehicle crash victims.
The plan would allow crash victims or their families to seek support from the state’s Victims of Crime Compensation Office, as they do for violent offenses. Crime victims can obtain medical, counseling, lost earnings, and burial support under current legislation. Qualification for crash victims would be expanded by the new plan.
The bill would provide crash victims legal rights beyond compensation. As permitted by law, individuals would have rapid access to crash investigation reports, evidence, images, and recordings. They could also be notified of court and administrative hearings relating to the collision, submit an impact statement, and take appropriate leave from work. The bill also protects victims from third-party harassment.
These improvements would give road victims accountability and dignity, say proponents. One backer said the bill would increase openness and allow victims a voice in driver-related actions. Safety advocacy groups, transportation policy organizations, and traffic violence victims’ families supported the plan at hearings.
A disturbing trend: New Jersey’s road fatalities have risen, reversing a nationwide reduction. Recently, the state saw its highest death toll in 30 years. Recent data shows a double-digit decline in fatalities, but campaigners say much work remains.
This crash victims’ measure has been proposed in adjacent states, signifying a wider shift toward treating traffic casualties like criminal victims. The law would make the state’s compensation agency a last option payer if insurance and disability benefits are exhausted.
Cost, scope, and administrative burden may alarm critics of extending these benefits and rights. However, the proposed protections may provide a more just, transparent, and humane road forward for families grieving traffic collision victims.
Sources
New Jersey legislative bill text A5629
Press coverage on NJ crash victim rights expansion
Public statements from bill sponsors and advocacy groups
