Until July 1, if you were under 21 in Virginia and walked down the street with a can of beer in your purse, you would be punished more than a peer who drove past you drunk.

That is no longer the case.

Under a new Virginia law, underage drivers under the influence of alcohol now will lose their licenses for a year, instead of six months, and a $500 fine is now the minimum rather than the maximum.

They also may be sentenced to 50 hours of community service instead of the fine, and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle spokeswoman Jean Patton said a judge could also opt to send offenders to jail for up to a year.

The law for an underage person merely possessing alcohol is loss of license for six months to a year plus a minimum fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service.

While the legal driving limit for adults is a blood alcohol concentration of .08, anyone younger than 21 with a BAC of .02 and above can be charged with drunk driving because it is illegal for them to be drinking in the first place.

Several other laws also took effect July 1 in Virginia.

Teens with a learner's permit must drive 45 hours instead of 40 before getting their licenses, and 15 of those hours must be after sunset. All hours must be certified on a form provided by the DMV.

Anyone operating a moped faster than 35 miles per hour in Virginia is now considered to be operating a motorcycle and subject to motorcycle laws. Moped operators must be at least 16 years old and carry a form of identification while driving, stating their name, address and birthday.

In addition, child restraint laws became more stringent. Repeat offenders could be fined up to $500.