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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>81052</law_id><section_number>46.2-816.1</section_number><catch_line>Careless driving and infliction of injury or death on vulnerable road users; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>46.2-392</reference><reference>46.2-924</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="46.2">Motor Vehicles</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Operation</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="8">Regulation of Traffic</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">General and Miscellaneous</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> As used in this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">vulnerable road user</span>&#x201D; means a pedestrian; the <span class="dictionary">operator</span> of or passenger on a bicycle, <span class="dictionary">electric personal assistive mobility device</span>, <span class="dictionary">electric power-assisted bicycle</span>, <span class="dictionary">wheel chair or wheel chair conveyance</span>, skateboard, roller skates, <span class="dictionary">motorized skateboard or scooter</span>, or animal-drawn <span class="dictionary">vehicle</span> or any attached device; or any person riding an animal. <a id="paragraph-290514" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/46.2-816.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> It is a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> to operate a <span class="dictionary">motor vehicle</span> in a careless or distracted manner such that the careless or distracted operation is the proximate cause of serious bodily injury as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Maiming, etc., of another resulting from driving while intoxicated" href="/18.2-51.4/">18.2-51.4</a> to or the death of a <span class="dictionary">vulnerable road user</span> who is lawfully present on the <span class="dictionary">highway</span> at the time of injury or death. <a id="paragraph-290515" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/46.2-816.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> A <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> or proceeding under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Reckless driving; general rule" href="/46.2-852/">46.2-852</a> is a bar to a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> or proceeding under this section for the same act, and a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> or proceeding under this section is a bar to a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> or proceeding under &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Reckless driving; general rule" href="/46.2-852/">46.2-852</a> for the same act. <a id="paragraph-290516" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/46.2-816.1/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2020, c. 1259; 2022, cc. 506, 507.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
