UPDATE: I’ve received several comments about this being “An old law.” But I also know that a friend of mine from Tennessee has a daughter attending VCU. The girl moved back home after her last semester and was caught speeding - doing about 18 miles over the speed limit. She found an attorney who told her about this law - or one very very similar to it and told her that the fine could not be reduced, that she could go to jail, lose her license - everything stated below. Virginia has tough driving laws. No doubt about it. I’m all for being tough on speeders and reckless drivers. They kill people. But I don’t think a blanket policy is the answer either. And I don’t think a legislator who stands to benefit financially should even be involved with or connected to such a law!! But hey - most attorneys are soulless sharks in it for the money. The only exception are the attorneys who do pro bono for KIND.…but they’re a different breed. Am I the only one who says Virginia has tough laws? No…here are a couple of others…Google Virginia speeding laws and see who else speeds.

http://www.speedingticketcentral.com/Virginia-speeding-ticket.html
http://virginia.drivinguniversity.com/speeding-tickets/speeding-ticket-fines

Here’s what other sites have to say about Virginia:
Virginia
Virginia is handing out Reckless Driving tickets like candy. Virginia is the only state that issues Reckless Driving violations just for speeding 20+ mph over the speed limit or 80+ regardless of the speed limit. Since traffic on the interstate usually moves at around 80, it is very easy to make a very large contribution. The fine can be up to 2500 plus one year in jail. I have known of one Virginia court to send people straight from court to jail. Since it is a mandatory court appearance, you have to either show up on your court date or retain an attorney. Attorney fees are usually 500 to 1500 with the fine in the same ballpark.

Bob Battle (lawyer) offers a FREE ebook about Virginia speeding laws - You’re going to jail in Virginia if you speed!! We have an automatic jail sentence for speeding over 90 mph You will do MORE jail time for speeding in Virginia than you will for first time DUI, felony drug possession or felony car theft! Insane!! So who benefits from this? The fact is, people die from speeding and from speeders. And - Virginia DOES have some of the toughest speeding laws in the country. And if this law isn’t in effect now - at some point I’m sure it will be.

My question is - why doesn’t the governor care about DUI’s? Why not tougher DUI laws? I’ll tell you why. The alcohol lobby. Bars, restaurants and businesses who sell liquor won’t stand for it. They can’t sell alcohol if people are worried about drinking and driving.

In Virginia there are 279 Law Enforcement Agencies; a state population of 7,386,330; and only 26,023 total arrests in Virginia for DUI in 2007. ONLY 26,023??? (Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics) Obviously speeders are easier to catch and ticket. Your return on your time is higher for the $$ you make. One officer can ticket a minimum of two to four speeders or more in an hour (yet it might take four hours to process ONE DUI. The $$$ on speeders is greater than DUIs….even if the DUI is more likely to kill, maim or cripple someone. So, is Virginia about safety of its citizens or making money? Need we ask? Virginia ranks 17th in the country for number of attorneys per capita. DC is number one. Like Gomer Pyle used to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise…”

A new Virginia tax law goes into affect 1 July 2010. You might want to pass this info around to your friends and families if you or they live in Virginia. This only applies to Virginia Residents so the rest of you can SPEED on through with no worries.

In short, if you’re doing 10-15 mph over the posted speed limit there is now a $3,550 FINE (after a new points tax that was introduced) in the state of Virginia. Here is the link http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1818.asp

“Virginia Introduces $3,550 Speeding Ticket Virginia legislator introduces new speeding ticket tax that boosts penalties beyond $3550, driving business to his traffic law firm.

Virginia motorists convicted of minor traffic violations will face a new, multi-year tax beginning July 1. Led by state Delegate David B. Albo (R-Springfield), lawmakers slipped a driver responsibility tax into a larger transportation funding bill signed by Governor Tim Kaine (D) in April. Albo, a senior partner in the Albo & Oblon, LLP traffic law firm, can expect to see a significant increase in business as motorists seek to protect their wallet from traffic tickets that come with assessments of up to $3000 in addition to an annual point tax that tops out at $700 a year for as long as the points remain.”

Seems to me that there’s some unethical stuff going on here - Albo stands to personally benefit financially as a result of this new law. But hey - corruption is what lawyers are all about right? And I know from covering Tim Kaine when I was a reporter that he doesn’t play by all the rules all the time. I wonder what’s in it for him.

“Driving as little as 15 MPH over the limit on an interstate highway now brings six license demerit points, a fine of up to $2500, up to one year in jail, and a new mandatory $1050 tax. The law also imposes an additional annual fee of up to $100 if a prior conviction leaves the motorist with a balance of eight demerit points, plus $75 for each additional point (up to $700 a year). The conviction in this example remains on the record for five years.

“Other six-point convictions include “failing to give a proper signal,” “passing a school bus” or “driving with an obstructed view.” The same $1050 assessment applies, but the conviction remains on the record for eleven years.

Although the amount of the tax can add up quickly, the law forbids judges from reducing or suspending it in any way. The tax applies only to Virginia residents, so that out-of-state motorists only need to pay the regular ticket amount. Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas also impose a somewhat more modest driver responsibility tax <http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/03/362.asp> which they apply to out-of-state residents.

The Virginia Supreme Court provides a full explanation of the new penalties for each traffic infraction in the 34k PDF file at the source link below. Update: View which legislators support a repeal, link to online petition
<http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1880.asp> .

Source: PDF FileCivil Remedial Fees
<http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2007/va-drivertax.pdf> (Executive Secretary, Virginia Supreme Court, 6/21/2007)

I don’t speed but I’m still getting a GPS tracking device that will record and store my driving information so that I can contest such a charge (and cops DO give out illegal tickets - I know. Radar is NOT all it’s cracked up to be.) should one arise. Remember, this means if you’re in a small town with a 15 mph speed limit and you’re doing 30 mph - you’re nailed. Think speed traps…and there are TONS of them. Just another way government wants to pay for bailing out big business.