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State Laws & Funding
Virginia
Below is a list of the key highway safety laws in Virginia. For more information, contact the Virginia Highway Safety Office.
| Aggressive Driver Actions | Comments |
| Is a hazard to others with the intent to harass, intimidate, injure or obstruct another person while committing at least one of the following: failure to drive on the right side of highway, driving outside of marked lanes, following too closely, failure to yield or stop before entering roadway, failure to obey traffic control device, passing when overtaking a vehicle, passing on right, failure to yield right of way, speeding, stopping on a highway. | |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Handheld Ban | All Cell Phone Ban | Text Messaging Ban | Crash Data |
||||||
| School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | All Drivers | School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | |||||
| Yes (Primary) |
<18 (Secondary) |
Yes (Secondary) |
Covered under all driver ban (Primary) |
Covered under all driver ban | Yes | ||||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Child Restraint Required unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Adult Safety Belt Permissible unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| <7; rear-facing devices in rear seat if available; if not, in front seat only if front passenger airbag is deactivated | 8 - 17 (4 - 8 with physician's exemption) | $50 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Per Se Laws for Drugs (Forbidding Prohibited Substances in Driver's Body) | DEC/DRE Programs (Providing Law Enforcement Training) |
| Yes | Yes |
Source: State Highway Safety Offices.
| Admin. License Suspen- sion on 1st Offense |
Limited Driving Privileges During Suspension | Inc. Penalty for High BAC | Open Container Laws | Repeat Offender Laws | Vehicle and License Plate Sanctions | Ignition Interlocks | Alcohol Exclusion Laws Limiting Treatment Opportunity | |
| 7 days | .15 | Yes | Vehicle confiscation | Mandatory for high BAC (>.15) and repeat convictions | Yes | |||
Sources: Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Learner Stage | Intermediate Stage | Full Privilege Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Required Supervised Driving Hours (Night Hours) |
||||
| Min. Age (Yrs./ Mos.) |
Min. Dura- tion (Mos.) |
Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Night- time Driving Restriction |
Passenger Restriction* (* family members exempt) |
|||
| 15 / 6 | 9 | 16 / 3 | Midnight - 4 a.m. | First 12 mos.–no more than 1 pass. <18; until 18, no more than 3 pass. <18* | 18 | 45 (15) | |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) an
| Motorcyclists | Bicyclists | ||
| Universal Helmet Law (Year Enacted) | Partial Law | Universal Helmet Law Repealed | |
| 1970 | |||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Length of Regular Renewal Cycle (Yrs.) | Provisions for Mature Drivers |
| 5 | Vision test required for >80 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Type of Law | Who is Covered (Yrs.) | In What Seat | Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| Secondary | >18 | Front | $25 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Permitted on Sidewalks/Bicycle Paths | Permitted on Roads | Helmets Required | Minimum Age | Pedestrian Laws Apply |
| Sidewalks | Yes on streets w/ speed limits up to 25 mph and if no sidewalk avail. | <15 if by local ordinance | 14 | Yes |
Sources: Segway LLC and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Checkpoints Conducted? | Comments |
| Yes | Conducted weekly |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Rural Interstates | Urban Interstates | Other Limited Access Roads | |||
| Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
| 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 65 | 65 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| State Law | Violations | Location | Citation Issued To / Liability |
Image / Privacy | Penalties (Traditional Penalties) | Defenses |
| Permitted; requires local ordinance; 1 site per 10,000 residents; (exception for metro DC: up to 10 sites or 1 site per 10,000, whichever is greater) | Red light | Registered owner / Driver | 2 photos or other recorded images / Contractor may not obtain driver records; information only used for enforcing violations; not available to the public, sold, or disclosed except by court order; purged no later than 60 days after collection of penalty | $50 max.; no court costs; not a criminal offense; no points; may not be used by insurers ($200 max.; 4 points) |
Owner not operator; vehicle stolen | |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Multiple of Original Fine | Violations Affected | Workers Must Be Present | |
| Not more than $500 | Speeding | Yes | |
Sources: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and State Highway Safety Offices.