Virginia car accident leads

Virginia fault-based claims and the coverage that pays first

Since July 1, 2024, every vehicle registered in Virginia must be insured. The Virginia DMV announcement (2024) explains that the option to pay a fee rather than maintain insurance was eliminated on that date. Injury claims are made against the driver who caused the crash; Virginia has no no-fault threshold to clear first.

Medical coverage on the claimant's own policy is optional. Code of Virginia 38.2-2201(A) (2026) requires insurers to provide, upon request of an insured, medical expense benefits of up to $2,000 per person for expenses incurred within three years after the accident, and loss of income benefits of up to $100 per week. Whether a claimant bought that coverage is worth a question on the form.

Uninsured motorist coverage is built into Virginia policies. Under Code of Virginia 38.2-2206(A) (2026), a motor vehicle liability policy issued in the Commonwealth must include it, subject to exceptions in subsection J, with limits at least the section 46.2-472 minimums and equal to the policy's liability limits unless a named insured rejects the additional amount.

Minimum liability limits in the Code of Virginia

Code of Virginia 46.2-472 (2026) sets two schedules. For policies effective on or after January 1, 2025, subsection B requires $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person, $100,000 for two or more people in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Subsection A kept lower limits of $30,000, $60,000 and $20,000 for policies effective from January 1, 2022 until the end of 2024.

Because the claimant's own uninsured motorist limits usually match the liability limits on their policy, a Virginia lead that records both the other driver's insurer and the claimant's carrier gives a firm a first look at the coverage available.

Virginia State Bar rules on solicitation and paid recommendations

The Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct (Virginia State Bar, as of October 7, 2026) keep a short marketing set:

• Rule 7.1, Communications Concerning a Lawyer's Services.
• Rule 7.2, Advertising, deleted by the amendments effective July 1, 2013.
• Rule 7.3, Solicitation of Clients, rewritten in 2013 and amended effective July 1, 2017.

Rule 7.3(d) bars a lawyer from paying a person outside the firm to recommend the lawyer, with listed exceptions; its Comment [4] discusses client leads. Applying the rules to a lead program is for the buying firm's counsel.