New Virginia Laws of Interest – Effective July 1, 2022

One of the goals of our eNewsletter (you can subscribe on our homepage) is to inform you, our readers, about new laws that interest our practice and, therefore, may impact our clients, friends, and family. Here is a summary of some of the laws passed in the 2022 legislative session and signed into law by Governor Glenn Younkin that became effective July 1, 2022.

As all of us at Curcio Law are very concerned about the safety of all users of our roadways, we are pleased to see that the two passed laws are intended to reduce the number of crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians.

1. Bicyclists, motorized scooters, motorized skateboards, and users of similar devices riding two abreast are prohibited from impeding the normal flow of traffic and require such users to move into single-file formation when being overtaken by a faster-moving vehicle. See Code § 46.2-905
2. The “vulnerable road user” law, which we have written about before, is designed to protect pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, and others using similar devices while crossing lawfully at marked crosswalks. The law, as originally enacted, subjected careless drivers to striking a vulnerable road user and causing physical injury to a Class 1 misdemeanor. The law was amended to now provide such a penalty if a careless driver causes the death of a vulnerable road user. See Virginia Code § 46.2-816.1. Note also that effective July 1, 2022, a driver convicted under the vulnerable road statute is subject to losing their driver’s license for up to 6 months. See Virginia Code § 46.2-392.

Other new laws of note include:

We often have the privilege of representing minors in personal injury settlements. We are glad to see that the law surrounding the handling of the settlement funds now allows for the funds to be placed into a Virginia College Savings Plan. See Virginia Code § 8.01-424.

Pre-Covid, Tom has enjoyed and welcomed the opportunity to present the End Distracted Driving program (ENDDD.org) at the required in-person ceremonies conducted at local courthouses to new drivers before they receive their new driver’s licenses, he is sorry to see that courts can now waive such ceremonies. See Virginia Code § 46.2-336.