A801 2RS

An Act concerning motor vehicle accidents and amending P.L.1998, c.21 and R.S.39:4-131.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 45 of P.L.1998, c.21 (C.17:33A-29) is amended to read as follows:

45. Every ¹[state] State¹ and local law enforcement agency, including the New Jersey State Police, shall make available to ²[: (1) ]² investigators ²[and claim representatives]² employed by insurers ²[; (2) vehicle owners, operators, ¹or¹ passengers listed in the accident report or ¹[a] an authorized¹ representative ¹[acting under the express authorization]¹ of such identified ¹[party] person¹; (3) governmental employees authorized to investigate or prosecute insurance fraud; and (4) any person who claims to have suffered personal injury or property damage as a result of the motor vehicle accident, including pedestrians, ¹or an authorized representative of such person,¹ provided such person or authorized representative ¹[of such person]¹ identifies with sufficient specificity the time and location of the accident described in the report]², upon presentation of appropriate identification ²[¹and any other information required by this section¹]², information from any accident report, as set forth in this section, no later than 24 hours following the time of occurrence. The information may include, but need not be limited to, the names and addresses of the owners of the vehicles, insurance information recorded on the accident report, and the names and addresses of passengers in the vehicles at the time of the occurrence and, if applicable, the name of any pedestrian injured in an accident. Every accident report form shall contain the names and addresses of any person occupying a vehicle involved in an accident, and any pedestrian injured in an accident. Except as authorized by this section ², R.S.39:4-131,² or by order of the court, no State or local law enforcement agency, including the New Jersey State Police, shall make available an accident report, nor any information contained in it, ¹other than information concerning a criminal investigation which is otherwise required to be made available pursuant to subsection b. of section 3 of P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-3),¹ ²[to any other person]²until after 90 days have elapsed from the date of the accident.

²[¹For purposes of this section, an "authorized representative" means: (1) a licensed attorney retained by and acting under the express authorization of a person listed in the accident report or the express authorization of a person who claims to have suffered personal injury or property damage as a result of the motor vehicle accident, or an employee of such attorney, who provides written documentation demonstrating that the attorney has been retained to represent such person; or (2) the next of kin of any person whose death or incapacitation results from the motor vehicle accident.¹]²

(cf: P.L.1998, c.21, s.45)

2. R.S.39:4-131 is amended to read as follows:

39:4-131. ²a.² The commission shall prepare and supply to police departments and other suitable agencies, forms for accident reports calling for sufficiently detailed information with reference to a motor vehicle accident, including the cause, the conditions then existing, the persons and vehicles involved, the compliance with P.L.1984, c.179 (C.39:3-76.2e et seq.) by the operators and passengers of the vehicles involved in the accident, whether the operator of the vehicle was using a cellular telephone when the accident occurred, and such other information as the chief administrator may require.

Every law enforcement officer who investigates a vehicle accident of which report must be made as required in this Title, or who otherwise prepares a written report as a result of an accident or thereafter by interviewing the participants or witnesses, shall forward a written report of such accident to the commission, on forms furnished by it, within five days after his investigation of the accident.

Such written reports required to be forwarded by law enforcement officers and the information contained therein shall not be privileged or held confidential [. Every], ²[except] provided² that ², unless authorized under subsection b. of this section,² such reports and information shall not be made available to the public until after 90 days have elapsed from the date of the accident. At such time, every citizen of this State shall have the right, during regular business hours and under supervision, to inspect and copy such reports and shall also have the right in person to purchase copies of the reports at the same fee established by section 6 of P.L.2001, c.404 (C.47:1A-5). If copies of reports are requested other than in person, an additional fee of up to $5.00 may be added to cover the administrative costs of the report. Upon request, a police department shall send an accident report to a person through the mail or via fax ¹[as defined in section 2 of P.L.1976, c.23 (C.19:59-2)]¹. The police department may require the person requesting the report to provide a completed request form and the appropriate fee prior to faxing or mailing the report. The police department shall provide the person requesting the report with the option of submitting the form and providing the appropriate fee either in person, through the mail, or via fax ¹[as defined in section 2 of P.L.1976, c.23 (C.19:59-2)]¹.

The provisions of any other law or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, reports obtained pursuant to this act shall not be subject to confidentiality requirements except as provided by section 28 of P.L.1960, c.52 (C.2A:84A-28).

When a motor vehicle accident results in the death or incapacitation of the driver or any passenger, the law enforcement officer responsible for notifying the next of kin that their relative is deceased or incapacitated, also shall inform the relative, in writing, how to obtain a copy of the accident report required by this section and the name, address, and telephone number of the person storing the motor vehicle pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1964, c.81 (C.39:10A-1).

²b. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the requirement in subsection a. of this section delaying the availability to the public of such written reports until after 90 days have elapsed from the date of the accident shall not apply to requests for such reports and information made by: (1) investigators and claim representatives employed by insurers; (2) vehicle owners, operators, or passengers listed in the accident report or an authorized representative of such identified person; (3) employees of a law enforcement agency or other governmental employees authorized to investigate or prosecute insurance fraud; (4) any person who claims to have suffered personal injury or property damage as a result of the motor vehicle accident, including pedestrians, or an authorized representative of such person, provided such person or authorized representative identifies with sufficient specificity the time and location of the accident described in the report, upon presentation of appropriate identification and any other information required by this section.

For the purposes of this section, an “authorized representative” means: (1) a licensed attorney retained by and acting under the express authorization of a person listed in the accident report or the express authorization of a person who claims to have suffered personal injury or property damage as a result of the motor vehicle accident, or an employee of such attorney, who provides written documentation demonstrating that the attorney has been retained to represent such person; or (2) the next of kin of any person whose death or incapacitation results from the motor vehicle accident.

c.² ¹Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a law enforcement agency from making information from an accident report available in accordance with the provisions of section 45 of P.L.1998, c. 21 (C.17:33A-29) or to require withholding information concerning a criminal investigation which is otherwise required to be made available pursuant to subsection b. of section 3
of P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-3).¹

(cf: P.L.2010, c.75, s.2)

3. This act shall take effect immediately.