Update: SB1339 was passed by the full Senate, 21-19.
This bill has now made it to the Senate Floor and it is time to contact YOUR Senator and ask them to support it.
How to contact your state senator: visit “Who’s My Legislator”.
Here is a sample letter you can use:
Please vote for SB 1339 Careless driving (Surovell) on the Senate Floor.
As amended in the Senate Transportation Committee, SB 1339 would establish a simple traffic infraction, with no suspension of a drivers license, when a “person who operates a motor vehicle in a careless or distracted manner…is the proximate cause of serious physical injury to a vulnerable road user, defined in the bill as a pedestrian or person riding a bicycle, electric wheelchair, electric bicycle, wheelchair, skateboard, skates, foot-scooter, animal, or animal-drawn vehicle.”
Virginia is one of only four states (with MA, SD, and WI) that does not statutorily require drivers to exercise due care at all times to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or bicyclist. While SB 1339 would be applicable only when a driver’s carelessness has caused a serious injury, it’s still better than what Virginia has today.
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