Highway Safety and Policy Subcommittee

Wednesday, March 4, 2026·33m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Highway Safety and Policy Subcommittee advanced two bills — SB 437 (green warning lights in work zones) and SB 506 (clear windshield films) — unanimously to full committee, while tabling a contentious lane filtering bill (SB 435) over safety and enforcement objections and tabling SB 533 (headlight stop evidence admissibility) over conflicting statutory language.

Key Actions

·SB 437 – Green and Amber Warning Lights in Work ZonesPassed

+ 3 more actions

Controversies

Safety and enforcement of lane filtering — SB 435

Mark Flynn argued California data showed a 43% reduction in crashes and 60% reduction in fatalities from lane filtering and that it saves lives without hurting anyone, while Ron Maxey of the Virginia State Police countered that Virginia Tech data showed only 4% of crashes were to the rear of a motorcycle and that it would be next to impossible for law enforcement to determine who is exercising ordinary care, leaving outcomes to trial attorneys and insurance companies with neither party charged.

+ 5 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“Virginia Tech studied 2 years worth of data and showed only 4% of crashes actually were to the rear of a motorcycle. This does put motorcycles into the blind spot of vehicles. It will be next to impossible for law enforcement to determine who is exercising ordinary care or intentionally trying to make any maneuver. Therefore, it's going to be left up to trial attorneys and insurance companies. Neither party would be charged.”
Ron Maxey (Virginia State Police) — Maxey testified in opposition to SB 435, the lane filtering bill, arguing that the safety rationale for the bill is undermined by Virginia data and that the maneuver would create an unenforceable legal standard.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

Adoption of substitute for SB 437Passed

Motion to report SB 437 with substitutePassed

Motion to lay SB 435 on the table (Delegate Anthony)No Vote

Motion to report SB 506Passed

Motion to lay SB 53[3] on the tableFailed

Motion to adjournPassed

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TranscriptPreview

Are you ready for it? Really? All right. Transportation Highway Safety and policy subcommittee will come to order. If the clerk will open the roll so that we can take attendance. Is that you also? Oh, We're not getting up. Last year there. Let me go. Let me go. Sorry. All right. We're waiting on attendance. All right. I'm not. I'm not seeing it come up. So we'll do attendance manually. So if the clerk would please call attendance, please. Ward McQuinn. Present. Anthony. Here. Thomas. Present. Meta Pope. Adams. Here. Ballard. Present. Phillips. Present. We have a quorum. And me present. All right, we have a quorum. And so we're going to go ahead and get started with Senator Bagby. I know that you were here. Yeah. Let's start with 437. And I believe that we have a substitute. There's been a motion. There's been a second. All those in favor of the substitute, please say aye. Any opposed? Okay. The substitute is now before Senator Bagby. So if you could tell us what your green warning lights and what the substitute does, that would be appreciated. Thank you. The bill authorized alternating green and amber warning lights on…

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