Traffic Laws and Offenses
Where Virginia's traffic laws sit in the Code, how offences are classified and enforced, and what two much-searched charge names really mean.
4 guides
Virginia's traffic law is Title 46.2 of the Code of Virginia, supplemented by local ordinances that Va. Code § 46.2-1300 lets counties, cities and towns adopt — which is why a summons can cite a code number you cannot find in the state Code at all.
These pages explain how a Title 46.2 offence is classified and penalised, which laws an officer may stop you for on their own and which require another violation first, and what two frequently searched phrases — "improper control" and "the Virginia driver responsibility law" — actually refer to in the Code, given that one of them names a statute that was repealed in 2008.
All guides
- Virginia Drivers' Responsibility Law: What It Is and Is Not
Virginia's abusive driver fees were repealed in 2008. The driver responsibility law that still applies is the insurance rule in Va. Code § 46.2-706.
- Improper Control Driving: Virginia Charges Improper Driving Instead
Improper control driving in Virginia is really improper driving, Va. Code § 46.2-869 — a traffic infraction with a fine of no more than $500 and 3 DMV points.
- Where Virginia State Traffic Laws Live, and What They Cost
Virginia's traffic laws are Title 46.2 of the Code. Where a section names no fine, § 46.2-113 caps it at $250, and $51 in court costs is added.
- Primary Traffic Offenses in Virginia, and the Secondary Ones
Virginia's Code names the traffic offenses an officer may not stop you for — seat belts, tint, teen licence rules. Everything else is a primary offense.