New Jersey Traffic Statute Guide
N.J.S.A. 39:4-66.2, explained.
Driving through a gas station or parking lot is not automatically this offense. The State must prove the motorist used non-road public property or private property for the purpose of avoiding a traffic signal or sign.
The Rule
Purpose is an element
Except for emergency vehicles and vehicles operated at law enforcement direction, a person may not drive on public property other than public roads or highways, or on private property, for the purpose of avoiding a traffic-control signal or sign. Owner permission does not make an avoidance cut-through lawful.
A legitimate stop at the business, a destination within the property, a missed turn, or a closure detour may negate the required avoidance purpose. The route alone can be circumstantial evidence, but the law does not prohibit every drive across a corner property.
What Must Be Proved
The charge is narrower than its label
- The person drove a motor vehicle on qualifying non-road public property or private property.
- The purpose was to avoid a traffic-control signal or sign.
- The vehicle was neither an emergency vehicle nor being operated at a law enforcement officer's direction.
MVC points: 2. That figure comes from the current MVC schedule, not an old payable-ticket table.
Statutory penalty: $50 to $200, imprisonment up to 15 days, or both.
Evidence & Defenses
Details decide these cases
Destination evidence
Receipts, card transactions, passenger testimony, pickup records, and stopping behavior may show a genuine property destination.
Route and timing
Video can show whether the driver bypassed a queue and immediately reentered, or instead parked, fueled, or responded to a closure.
Traffic control identified
The report should identify the exact signal or sign allegedly avoided and show the route actually bypassed it.
Keep the receipt and request business video immediately. The mental-state issue often turns on a few seconds before and after the property crossing.
Common Questions
Questions about 39:4-66.2
Is cutting through a gas station always illegal?
No. It violates this section when done for the purpose of avoiding a signal or sign. Actually stopping for fuel or another legitimate reason presents a different fact pattern.
Does the owner's permission help?
Permission alone is not a defense; the statute expressly covers private property with or without owner permission.
Can an officer direct traffic through a lot?
Yes. Vehicles operated at a law enforcement officer's direction are expressly excepted.
Primary Sources
Read the official material
The explanation above was checked on September 5, 2026 against the New Jersey Legislature's official bulk text (codified through P.L.2025, c.405), the Legislature's live Title 39 compilation, and the MVC's current points table. The 2026 enacted-law index was also checked for later amendments affecting this batch.
- Official Legislature lookup for N.J.S.A. 39:4-66.2
- Local Title 39 reference entry for N.J.S.A. 39:4-66.2
- New Jersey Legislature official statute-text archive
- New Jersey MVC official points schedule
Related reading: New Jersey traffic-ticket defense and the New Jersey municipal court directory.
Charged under N.J.S.A. 39:4-66.2?
The citation is only the start. The location, observations, video, and exact subsection determine what the State can prove.
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Source verification completed September 5, 2026 against the New Jersey Legislature bulk statutes through P.L.2025, c.405, the exact Title 39 section, and the New Jersey MVC points schedule. Primary sources: Legislature statute archive and MVC points schedule. This is source verification, not a representation of attorney review. Laws change; nothing here is legal advice for your specific case.