Quote:
Originally Posted by Luftwaffel
Ah, the good old communistwealth. Nothing quite like worrying about your speed on the I-95 because 6 over gets you 30 days.  |
Not to try to defend the nonsensical speed laws in Va, but this is a bit of an exaggeration, I think.
You can THEORETICALLY receive jail time (up to 1 yr) and a fine up to 2.5k for reckless driving. Which in respect to speeding is defined as going 80 or higher (yes!) or 20 or more above the limit.
So the only possibility to get jail time for 6 over would be on a highway with 75 mph (or more) limit. But by the law the maximum speed limit in Va is 70.
In other words, you have to go at least 11 over being on one of the few roads that even have the 70 mph limit to potentially go to jail.
Another interesting thing is that a reckless driving conviction can have much more serious consequences for an out of state driver. That "11 over" speeding will be communicated to your state as "reckless driving", and it some cases, based on that state's law, you can get your license suspended immediately (it has happened)
For a Va driver it is just 6 demerit points, not too good, but far away from taking away the license, if you had a clean sheet before. And especially if you had it for a while, I have 5 "safe point" so in case I am caught going over 80 or more than 20 over the limit, I will have just 1 demerit point.
In my area most likely I wouldn't go to jail either unless I exceed the limit by a really large number, a local celebrity was caught doing 105 in 55 and got 3 days, I think.
Now it may be very different in rural Va, it's common to see an emptish straight and safe road with a huge median and wide shoulders, and you are only wondering why all these stupid locals drive exactly 55. And then you notice that a police cruiser is sitting in the bushes every 3 miles.
But still it has to be 20+ over the limit or 80+ for jail time.
Oh wait, I just remembered they can slap you with reckless driving for driving "at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person". As driving is inherently dangerous, I guess this may appliy to any non-stationary vehicle.