HB 2256: Motor vehicle accident; increases damage threshold. - Virginia

Enrolled → Chaptered · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill updates the Virginia Code to reflect that HB 2256 has been officially approved and enacted into law. It changes the status of the document from a proposed 'Enrolled' bill to a 'Chaptered' act, assigning it Chapter 255 of the 2025 session. The specific text regarding the motor vehicle accident report threshold was not provided in the diff, so no substantive policy changes to that rule can be identified.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on amending the motor vehicle accident reporting threshold, but its legal status has changed from proposed legislation to an enacted law.

TECHNICAL

The document status was updated from 'Enrolled' to 'Chapter 255', indicating the bill has been signed into law and added to the official code.

The approval date was updated to March 21, 2025, establishing the effective date of the legislation.

The generic 'Approved' line was replaced with the specific approval date and chapter number.

Courts of Justice Substitute → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 7, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was updated from a substitute version to its final engrossed form, incorporating specific amendments to the reporting requirements for motor vehicle accidents. The most significant policy change is the modification of the property damage threshold for mandatory police reporting, which was adjusted to range between $1,500 and $3,000. Additionally, the bill removed requirements for officers to ask about mobile phone usage and telematics apps, and it eliminated the mandate to report specific vehicle details like speed, truck coverage status, and driver phone numbers.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding mandatory reporting triggers was altered by introducing a specific dollar range for property damage thresholds and removing the requirement to report on mobile phone usage and detailed vehicle information.

REQUIREMENT

The threshold for requiring a police report due to property damage was changed to an apparent extent of $1,500 to $3,000 or more, replacing the previous single figure of $1,500.

The requirement for law enforcement officers to ask drivers about mobile phone usage and the use of insurance telematics applications was removed from the reporting process.

The mandate to include specific data points such as vehicle speed, whether trucks were covered or uncovered, and driver mobile phone numbers/IMEI in the report was removed.

DEFINITION

The term 'accident collision' was simplified to 'accident' throughout the text, and the title was updated to reflect 'motor vehicle accident' instead of 'motor vehicle accident collision'.

Introduced → Courts of Justice Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Virginia's law requiring law enforcement to report motor vehicle accidents, raising the property damage threshold for mandatory reporting from $1,500 to $3,000. It also introduces new requirements for officers to collect mobile phone usage data and device identifiers (IMEI) from drivers involved in collisions.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of data collection by law enforcement to include mobile phone information and telematics app usage, while simultaneously raising the financial threshold for when a written report must be filed.

REQUIREMENT

Increased the property damage threshold for mandatory accident reporting from $1,500 to $3,000.

Requires officers to ask drivers about mobile phone usage and the use of insurance telematics applications at the time of the collision.

Mandates that reports include the driver's mobile phone number, provider name, and the device's IMEI number.

ENFORCEMENT

Specifies that IMEI numbers must be redacted on public copies of reports unless provided to the driver or their attorney.

Engrossed → Enrolled · 1 edit · Mar 21, 2025

MINOR

This bill changed the property damage threshold for when law enforcement must file a motor vehicle accident report from $1,500 to $3,000. This means fewer minor accidents will require official police reports, potentially reducing paperwork and administrative costs while still capturing more serious incidents.

Scope change

The threshold for mandatory reporting was increased, narrowing the scope of accidents requiring law enforcement reporting.

REQUIREMENT

Increased the property damage threshold for mandatory accident reporting from $1,500 to $3,000, meaning law enforcement will only be required to file reports for accidents with higher damage costs.

Motor vehicle accident; increases damage threshold.

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