Bill > H246

This bill, known as Liam's Law, increases penalties for reckless driving, street racing, and hit-and-run offenses that cause serious injury or death in North Carolina. The legislation introduces more severe criminal charges and driver's license revocation periods for these offenses. Specifically, reckless driving that causes serious injury will now be a Class 1 misdemeanor, and driving causing serious bodily injury will be a Class A1 misdemeanor. For street racing, the bill establishes new felony levels: a Class H felony for speed competitions causing serious injury, and a Class G felony for competitions causing serious bodily injury or death. Hit-and-run offenses are also addressed, with more stringent penalties for drivers who fail to stop after crashes resulting in injury or death. The law mandates longer driver's license revocation periods, ranging from one to four years for less serious offenses and potentially permanent revocation for incidents resulting in death. Additionally, the bill allows for limited driving privileges in some cases and requires courts to consider sentencing in the aggravated range for crashes resulting in fatalities. The new law is set to take effect on December 1, 2025, and will apply to offenses committed on or after that date.

Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H246