I posted this information as part of another thread on a different part of the forum, but thought I should make it more widely available since many of you may be traveling through my beautiful Commonwealth this summer. That is, traveling at a speed over 80 MPH in Virginia is, by statute, reckless driving REGARDLESS OF THE SPEED LIMIT. So, even if you are in a 70 mph zone, 10 over (which most of us do as a matter of course) gets you a reckless charge. Outrageous, but that's the law. And reckless isn't just a word. It changes the whole nature of the beast.

Reckless driving is a class 1 criminal misdemeanor charge, not a traffic offense and carries with it a mandatory court appearance, high fines and possible jail time. It is not a traffic offense where you can just pay a fine to get rid of it. For those of you from out of the region, you would actually have to come back to Virginia for the court date. There are no exceptions that I know of. A class 1 misdemeanor is the highest level of misdemeanor. God forbid if you don't have a valid license. That makes going 80 a class 6 felony! This law has been in effect since the highway speed limits were capped at 55 MPH, so it used to make more sense. But now that some roads in the Commonwealth have 70 mph limits, it's crazy. There have been several attempts to change it, all unsuccessful.

Those of us who live here and know this stupid law just set the cruise control at 78 in a 70 mph zone. Out of staters routinely pass us and look at us like we're pussies that are too scared to go faster. But now you know why. The Virginia state troopers seem to look for speeders over 80 and have very little sense of humor about it.

In the past year I have seen a couple small signs appear near our state border that warn that "speeding over 80 is reckless." But that sounds like something your mother might say rather than a real legal warning. And I doubt too many people understand what that really entails. Because of this, one of my buddies now has to answer yes on any form that asks if he has ever been convicted of a crime. We have also discovered that, as a result of this, he may not be able to ride with us if we enter Canada because of their policy on not admitting "criminals."

For any of you that think I may be embellishing this, here are the relevant Virginia Code Sections:
We have thousands of beautiful motorcycle roads in Virginia, especially in the Blue Ridge, Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains. I know many bikers from around the country are drawn here. I just didn't want you to have your trip ruined because of a law you may not be aware of.

 

Thanks for the heads up. That's pretty insane do you know if it applies to cars as well? Ride safe too.

 

It applies to ANY motor vehicle.

 

Thank you for the info. I had always heard that you don't ever want to get pulled over for speeding in Virginia. And a radar detector is also going to be a problem for you as well.

 

Thank you. Another reminder that we have 50 different sets of
motor vehicle and other laws. Good to know about your state.

 

Glad Virginia is 2800 miles away...
Do 80 here, and you might get run over...lol.

 

This is the sign that I saw on I-81 shortly after I crossed into Virginia. "Penalties higher" doesn't really say enough, does it? Maybe it should say "Penalties Insanely Out of Whack."

 

OP thanks for posting. I ride through VA a lot and they are really aggressive on speeders especially I-77 from NC to VA at Fancy Gap. That 65mph limit there really gets the travelers heading home from a Florida vacation.

The last ticket I received for speeding was in NC back in 2001 doing 84 in a 70 on I-40. I had actually just slowed from over 90 when he clocked me. No big deal back then.

I cannot afford them anymore and have slowed way down in/on everything I drive. The big problem here is the highway patrol has their radar off and flip it on when they see a possible speeder so no warning from the best detectors and many are riding in plain Jane non-marks cars and suv's. We also have a lot more laser guns and you don't stand a chance against them.

 

Radar detectors are also illegal in VA, and I have heard of VA troopers actually using "radar detector detectors." Generally though, higher end radar detectors can't be picked up by that because they're better insulated than the cheap versions that "leak" whatever is being picked up. Regardless, if you get pulled over for something else and the trooper notices your radar detector, it's taken pretty seriously in VA. I'm not entirely sure of the actual tickets/penalties/confiscation of device, though.

Radar detector wise, "instant-on" radar is what you're talking about, and his harder to detect than those older style radar guns that remain on constantly. With my Valentine, I have to be paying attention to what its picking up to figure out if that's being used. You really need to bank on the cop seeing somebody in front of you and hitting them with radar, and you picking it up. If you're the only car/bike on the road, theres usually nothing you can do because by the time your detector goes off, you're already tagged.

If its laser, you're pretty much done. My Valentine picks it up, but most likely I've been tagged already. Next to impossible to pick up ahead of time with any detector because its more like a precise rifle shot, compared to a radar's shotgun effect.

 

It's a money grab and nothing more, they will just say it's for your own safety. They are parked all over the interstate creating revenue in the name of safety.