Chap. 94.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Sections 16, 25, 32 and 44 of Chapter
384 of the Acts of Assembly of 1944, approved March 31, 1944, and known,
designated and cited as the “Virginia Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act”,
relating to revocation of licenses of operators of motor vehicles, judgments
arising out of the operation of motor vehicles, suspension of licenses of opera-
tors of motor vehicles, and reports of accidents arising out of the operation
of motor vehicles. [H B 217}

Approved March 4, 1946

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That sections sixteen, twenty-five, thirty-two and forty-four of
chapter three hundred eighty-four of the Acts of Assembly of nineteen
hundred forty-four, and known, designated and cited as the “Virginia
Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act’, be amended and re-enacted,
as follows:

Section 16. (a) The Commissioner shall forthwith revoke, and
not thereafter reissue during the period of one year, the license of any
person, resident or nonresident, upon receiving a record of his conviction
of any of the following crimes, committed in violation of either a State
law or of a valid town, city or county ordinance paralleling and sub-
stantially conforming to a like State law and to all changes and amend-
ments of it: (1) voluntary or involuntary manslaughter resulting from
the operation of a motor vehicle; (2) driving a vehicle while intoxicated
or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs; (3)
perjury or the making of a false affidavit to the Division under this act
or any other law of this State requiring the registration of motor vehicles
or regulating their operation on highways or the making of a false state-
ment to the Division on any application for an operator’s or chauffeur’s
license; (4) any crime punishable as a felony under the motor vehicle
laws of this State or any other felony in the commission of which a motor
vehicle is used; (5) two charges of reckless driving, or forfeiture of bail
upon two charges of reckless driving, within the preceding twelve months ;
(6) failure to stop and disclose his identity at the scene of the accident,
on the part of a driver of a motor vehicle involved in an accident result-
ing in the death or injury of another person.

(b) The Commissioner shall forthwith revoke and not thereafter
reissue during the period of three years the license of any person, resi-
dent or nonresident, upon receiving a record of the second or other
additional conviction of the person upon a charge of driving a vehicle
while intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic
drugs. }

Section 25. The judgment herein referred to means any judgment
for fifty dollars or more damages because of injury to or destruction
of property, including loss of its use, or any judgment for damages, in-
cluding damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury to
or death of any person arising out of the ownership, use or operation of
any motor vehicle.

Section 32. Not less than thirty or more than ninety days after
receipt by him of the report or notice of an accident which has resulted
in bodily injury or death, or in damage to the property of any person of
fifty dollars ($50.00) or more, the Commissioner shall forthwith suspend
the license of any person operating and the registration certificate and
registration plates of any motor vehicle in any manner involved in the
accident unless, or until, the operator, chauffeur, or owner, any or all
of them, have previously furnished or immediately furnished security,
sufficient in the judgment of the Commissioner, to satisfy any judgment
or judgments for damages resulting from the accident as may be re-
covered against the owner, operator, or chauffeur by or on behalf of any
person aggrieved or his legal representative, and unless and until the
owner, operator, or chauffeur, any or all of them, shall immediately fur-
nish and thereafter maintain proof of financial responsibility in the future,
provided that the Commissioner shall dispense with the foregoing require-
ments on the part of any owner, operator, or chauffeur whom he finds
to be free from any blame for such accident.

Section 44. (a) The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident
resulting in injury to or death of any person or total property damage to
an apparent extent of fifty dollars ($50.00), or more, shall, within five
(5) days after the accident, make a written report of it to the Division.

(b) The Commissioner may require any driver of a vehicle in-
volved in any accident of which report must be made to file a supplemental
report whenever any report is insufficient in his opinion and he may re-
quire witnesses of accidents to render reports to the Division.

(c) Every law enforcement ofhcer, who in the course of duty in-
vestigates a motor vehicle accident of which report must be made, either
at the time of and at the scene of the accident or thereafter and elsewhere
by interviewing participants or witnesses, shall, within twenty-four (24)
hours after completing the investigation, forward a written report of the
accident to the Division.

(d) Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of
making an immediate or a written report of an accident of which a report
is required each other occupant of the vehicle at the time of the accident,
if any, who is capable of so doing must make the report required by this
act to be made primarily by the driver.