Racing with the State Police

Yesterday’s announcement by the Governor and others that a Formula One race would be coming to New Jersey in 2013 included a brief mention of an important distinction between New Jersey and virtually all of the other states: In New Jersey, all motor racing falls under the oversight of the State Police.

Where the other states largely ignore the matter, in New Jersey there exists rules and regulations governing the design and operation of races tracks, the safety standards to which competing vehicles must adhere, and more. These rules and regulations are found in Title 13, Law and Public Safety, Chapter 62. Motor Vehicle Race Track Rules, and interested parties can find them online at

http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/pdf/racing_regulations.pdf .

While these rules and regulations have been around for over 50 years they are updated regularly. Racing, after all, is quite different today than it was 50 years ago. Happily, one of those differences is that today it is much safer than it was 50 years ago, and it is no exaggeration to say that the New Jersey Division of State Police has played a significant role in those safety improvements.

Today, Troopers visit New Jersey’s racing facilities regularly, just as they have for over 50 years. They work with speedway operators and individual competitors to ensure that the requirements are being understood and met.

Between now and the waving of the green flag over Formula One in New Jersey there will be much interaction between the State Police and the event organizers. On race day in 2013, you can be sure that you will see a State Police presence at the track, concerning themselves not only with the usual large-event subjects such as traffic and crowd control, but also with the safe conduct of the event.