D'sNBP

Hey all,

I may be moving to VA soon and was wondering what do the po po's look out for in the state. Might be moving to Richmond area. I know they have a state inspection there so what do they look for? Right now my ride is mostly stock but I want to mod it a bit. 05, 6MT

1StGenCL

no cops in VA, speed away

D'sNBP

I don't know about that. I know they don't like radar detectors there and when I went there a few years back they were everywhere!

TommySalami

Keep your front plate on, and if you get a radar detector, make sure it's an undetectable one. You should post this in the regional section for the Mid-Atlantic region. You'll get much better answers.

https://acurazine.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=311

CL6

They like to hide in the tree filled median strips between the roads. Maryland State Troopers are worse though.

D'sNBP

Moderator, can you move me to the regional?

What about state inspections for modded cars?

SouthernBoy

You'll find that Virginia is a nice place to be. As for the "po po's", don't do stupid things and you'll be fine. Yes, radar detectors are illegal. State safety inspections (some areas also have emissions inspections) cover brakes, tires, lights, exhaust (leaks), and a host of other things, and is required once a year. Emissions inspections are once every two years. Can't speak for tint and how much is legal since I don't tint.

There is a little known "move over" law in the state. Look it up because if you get a ticket for this, it can be expensive. Virginia uses the "points" system for tickets but I know nothing about this since I haven't had a moving violation in over 38 years. I see you're military. If you like to carry a gun, you may do so freely in Virginia open (the default) or concealed (requires a permit). If you need more info about this particular issue, PM me.

I can't help right now with moving your thread since I am at work... perhaps another moderator will weigh in on this for you.

EuRTSX

You'll hate Fairfax County Cops.

F23A4

With family all over the state I'm there fairly frequently and haven't had a problem yet. (Although illegal, I still use my Solo S2 while in Va. though I usually place it just under my Tom Tom.)

OneWickedTypeS

Speaking from experience the front plate will get u pulled very quick. As far as being modded I have not had any issue's. I have never had to have an emission's test. And I just recently got my first tint ticket (20%) but I was doing 80 on 288...I would not recommend doing that by the way...

LoveMyTL-S

If he has out of state tags, will he still need to have the safety inspections? Or plates on the front if his state doesn't have that?

OneWickedTypeS

State inspection I would think no, But front tag u might still get pulled so he could u check u out.

sortudo7

Lived in Northern VA all my life and driven all over. Cops are picky depending on their mood as are most ppl. If you get a cop in a bad mood you're pretty screwed. If you deal with a cop, common sense, kiss ass and most times they will let you go. The cops here are more strict in certain areas like Fairfax County where i live now. There aren't many crimes up here so they find little things to keep em busy from time to time. When I travel to Richmond they seem to not give a crap about moving violations or anything due to being more preoccupied with crimes. My boys live down there and cops don't care when cars get broken into or anything. There were gun shots in my boy's neighborhood in Richmond every night and cops took their time everytime, they just didn't really care. We ran lights infront of cops and they didn't care at all so it would really depend on how cops are in the area. Not saying all of Richmond is like that bc it isn't, just the ghetto part I was in was like that.

I've been pulled over for speeding while ppl were passing me just because of my car. Got stopped after pulling a U-Turn because a detour told me to and other cars as well, he only stopped me. Tint legal wise is 35 back and 50 front for legal tints. If you get pulled over for something more serious like speeding they will try to get you for the rest. Most times they won't bother if you have illegal tint as long as your outline can be seen. It is illegal to not have a plate but luckily I haven't been pulled over yet *knock on wood*. Radar detectors are illegal but I run mine and with the tint and it in night mode it's impossible to see from outside unless you know exactly where to look. I did have mine up in a nontinted car coming back from MD where it's legal and I got pulled over for it and got a ticket just because of it, I wasn't speeding but a cop pulled up to my blind spot and saw it. Just drive safe and most times you'll be fine.

Bdog

Like most people said, don't do stupid things and your alright. No front plate and too dark window tint and you will eventually get pulled over. Normal driving don't go over 7-9 mph on highway 5-7 rural roads. Modified exhaust isn't bad as long as it's not obnoxious. VA has limited VG-2 RDD detectors, not all units have a radar detector detectors, but if caught is a $90.00 fine (you keep the detector).

lil_turbo4

You say Maryland state troopers are the worst, yeah rite and im bill gates!!! Maryland state troopers are alot better then VA state troopers!!!

Atleast maryland dont always give you a ticket as for va stater troopers always give you a ticket! They dont let nobody slide, and even if you a cop from another department, they still try to give you a ticket, I should know, Im a US Marshal! Im from Maryland, but sometimes I have to go to VA!

Also, you go for inspections every year, I really dont understand that at all and you do 15miles over the speed limit, that considered wreckless driving, thats just way to strict for me! For you to get a caught for wreckless driving in Maryland, You have to get 3 tickets to get wreckless driving, you can actually get clocked at 100mph and it will just be speeding and not wreckless driving!

OneWickedTypeS

Lil turbo , I think u are miss informed, But I may very well be to, So

Wreckless is 20 over... Cause I was pulled doing 80 on 288 about a month ago thats 15 over. Yes I did ask if it was wreckless he said no.

Also there are different types of wreckless tickets u can get to.
Wreckless major and wreckless minor.

Also did u know if u get more than I ticket in a day ur insurance company can only use one.( first hand knowledge on this to, I would definantly recommend not cutting off a state trooper ever, they do not like it at all, And will find every god damn ticket to write u, I got three at that time)

As far as always getting a ticket I have to disagree with u on that to sorry...

I have gotten out of plenty of tickets. But u will only be able to push ur luck for so long.
I went 10 years and never recieved a tint ticket, Only got that cause he popped me doing 80.
I think he was hateing on my car lol

03bl AC k CL

if youre moving to va just get a bicycle. they are really bad out there... and i only pass through it to get back and forth from NJ to NC. dont tint, leave your front plate on, dont have a radar detector dont do more than 1 mph over the speed limit make absolute sure your registration and inspection are up to date.

they stopped me for tint on i-95 yes JUST for tint. i have NJ tags on my car too. ( i wasnt even aware they could enforce equipment laws that vary with state).

i was also an idiot and got a much deserved wreckless driving ticket (90 in a 65) and it was a 750 dollar valuable lesson to never EVER speed in VA. its a misdemeanor there

you can do jail time in some counties for wreckless driving (seriously)

of course i just pass thru VA and the locals could give you better advice.

01CLinprocess

iTrader: (2)

My friend did jail time for doing 90, not sure what the speed limit was and not sure where he was in VA.

Also many times if you are given a wreckless driving ticket you will go to court obviously, but the judge will drop wreckless driving for a normal speeding charge and assign driving school. This only happens if your ticket was borderline as in 21 over.

Bottom line is be smart about your speed and cops are less likely to stop you for smaller things such as tint ect.

D'sNBP

From the info about Richmond area, I think you're talking about the southside like Park Ave, area... I used live in Va about 15 years ago, no car of course, but have seen this happen a lot. Also seen people shot and dragged out in the street and the ones that shot them call the police to come pick the body up. They didn't until a few hours later. As for the tint I'm 35% all around which is legal here. What about DVD/Navigation? I have an aftermarket set up with PS2 for the passenger.

j1n

iTrader: (1)

lol Fairfax county cops are a bunch of douchebags. i work in springfield. i was walking to subway which is not far from my office. i cross the street and a cop comes and pulls over right next to me with his lights on. puts his window down and starts yelling at me. i walk over and im like wtf.. hes like YOU WERE J-WALKING!!! im going to give you a warning this time but next time its going to be a 120$ fine!. mind you this is a spot where people cross the street ALL the time. in fact as he was yelling at me litterally bout 12 people crossed that same spot.

sortudo7

Man that's crazy, haven't seen anything that extreme but usually it's dealers shooting at one another over territory or something stupid...ocassionally gang crap too. But yea, that area haha, I remem always seeing the shoes on the power lines hahahahahaha. My boy would be like "you can score crack here, coke there, weed on that corner" LOL.

I had an indash aftermarket DVD player in my old car and got pulled over for "speeding" (5mph over the limit) and he gave me crap for it. Since I'm training to be a firefighter he let me off with a warning, thank God for civil service leniency haha. But yea he said it's illegal because it's a distraction from the road and the possibility of watching movies etc. Also since it is touch screen it's apparently bad. Only if it's OEM will you get away with that crap. I guess that is why OEM ones are no longer being touchscreens too though.

Lil_Turbo4, I have to disagree too. Maybe you had a bad experience too but wreckless is 20+, fact. They don't always give you a ticket unless you're being stupid and driving like 70 in a 55 or speeding in a construction zone or more populated area. MD troopers vary too, I'm sure. I got a ticket from some dick MD trooper who pulled me over for speeding (10mph over) because I was being tailgated by a Lexus RX350. I had changed lanes multiple times to let them pass and they just came behind me and highbeamed for no reason and this continued on for about 10 mins non-stop. Had a passenger in my car vouching, cop didn't care. The Lex even pulled over and he said to go on. It was a $20 ticket which was pretty sweet though haha.

As for MD driving laws, that is retarded about wreckless. That is why so many ppl from MD speed and drive like retards coming through here. 100mph speeding is wreckless, you crash and someone is pretty much going to die or be severly injured Idk how you can't consider that wreckless. I guess you have to prove you're an idiot who doesn't care for other ppl's welfare in order to be considered a danger in MD.

You're correct about the inspection though which I also agree is stupid, has to be done every year unless you have a new car, then you can do like once every 2 years or so.

TommySalami

MD reckless is 30 I think.

Derk's K24

Like others have mentioned make sure you're not cheating in the HOV lane when you only have one passenger, follow the tint guidelines(50% fronts, 35% rear unless you have a waiver), front tag, no fart can exhaust, nothing hanging from rear view mirror(most of the time you can get away with it) and look out for speed traps EVERYWHERE when you're on any highways.

I actually like the state inspection every year in VA. For anybody who is from MD or travels there often enough you have to admit you see some of the most F*cked up cars. Driving around with no bumpers, huge cracks in the windshields, bald tires, etc. This is because no one is forcing them to keep their cars safe and operable. Besides that persons safety it helps with the safety of other because if someone driving around with 8 year old bald tires ends up crashin in to you because their old ass tire blew I'm sure we would be pissed if we're alive.

D'sNBP

Yeah, Idaho is like that with no inspection at all! I've seen people drive on the highway without a windshield! I had to turn around and pass them up to make sure and yep, no windshield. WOW. Would they still pull me over even if I have Idaho plates on and the window tint of 35 all around?

Fireguy0826

I read most of the replys but going to tell you some of the facts my self. Lived in NOVA for about 2 yrs now.
1: ( Atleast in Loudoun County )- out of state tags u have 60 days to register in VA or you'll get a ticket. Trust me i thought yeah ok, Leesburg cops def cruise the Apts takin notes on how long cars have been parked and issue tickets.
2: Radar detectors are illegal. I herd somwhere first offense they go easy. I herd 2nd is 1k fine, 3rd is like 1.5k plus DL. ( i'll look that one up to confirm )
3: Most NOVA counties require city and or county stickers.
4. Vehicle Taxes suck ass!
5 . for a car 4/2 door its 50% front 35% rear.
6. State inspections suck ass too. They check everything, i had one guy tell me i needed to take down my air freshener and my GPS because it was " obstructing my veiw ", i'm like dude i would'nt put it there if it was.
7: Inspection stations will pass illegal tint its not on their list.
8: cops CAN and WILL pull u over for tint ( even if out of state )

Those are just some of things i've learned living in Northern VA for 2 years.
good luck!

Fireguy0826

having trouble finding the fine for RD's, but have found that as of july 07 reckless driving can be a $3,550 fine, year in jail and $350 tax per year after.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

I was pretty sure MD didn't have a reckless driving charge.


Oh... don't cheat in HOV lanes in VA. Big no-no around here.

TommySalami

It does. It earns 6 points too, according to the MVA. I can't find how fast you have to be going to get it though. I think it was 30 over

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

I got stopped once (first ticket ever ~2003) for 85 in a 55. No reckless driving charge.

TommySalami

They were probably being nice to you. When I went to court for my ticket (to apologize and get the points taken off), the person before me got caught doing 70 in a 35 and got reckless driving. The judge actually told the kid that the officer was being nice by only giving him reckless and not arresting him

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Yea, I went to court for a BS speeding ticket (got out of it ), he was handing out wreckless speeding tickets like they were nothing. Alot of the people lost control due to bad weather and hit a barrier or something, and they got a wreckless driving ticket.

Make sure you tint isnt too dark (50% up front is the law) and you have a front plate.

Also, the cops use Crown Vics, Impalas, Chargers, Tahoes, Intrepids, and yes Ive even seen Camrys. The Tahoes usually have really dark tint in the back but you can see the short little pigtail antenna on the roof and make out the lights in the back window. Take it easy for the first few months and you will start to see a pattern that cops use. They really like to hide behind trees on I64 and I295 at night, and during the day they usually have the unmarked cars sitting in the right shoulder as if they were pretending to be a disabled vehicle. Keep an eye on the speed limits on the highway too, they tend to fluctuate in the Richmond/Petersburg area.

Also, never ever ever ever ever speed in Colonial Heights. They will pull you over for doing 31 in a 30, and dealing with their court system is rediculous.

Oh yea, no radar detectors.

All the state troopers Ive dealt with were cool, and most will actually give you tips on how to get out of the ticket. The county cops on the otherhand are pricks trying to make a name for themselves. They will harrass you and follor you if your "in a parking lot you shouldnt be in", which happened to parking lot at the pool in my development, which I pay dues for.

I live just south of Richmond in Chester, but Im all over the state due to work.

D'sNBP

From AAA Digest of Motor Laws 2008, it stated for non residents may operatre a motor vehicle in the state without registering or paying any fees to the Commonwealth for a period not to exceed 6 months if the vehicle is registered in another state. Also for military personnel on active duty in VA may retain vehicle registration in their home state, so I guess I'm ok there. I will make some calls to make sure. If you have any questions, I strongly encourage you to get this book. It's 13.95 but I sweet talked a lady and she gave it to me for free! It even has information for all U.S. terrorities. Still worried about the tint though.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

My car is registered in NY and has been since August (when I got it). Im licensed in VA, and they dont question it.

Oh, one more thing. You really dont have to watch out for cops as much as you do the assholes who dont know how to merge, the people who dont understand that if the power is out youre supossed to treat the traffic lights as a four-way stop and the idiots who slam on their brakes in the left lane because their exit is 20 feet ahead of them.

Also, Ive noticed that VA roads have tons of rocks on them, so rock chips are inevitable.

D'sNBP

Tell me about the rocks! Here in Idaho I'm sure it's much worse. A lot of trucks, dirt and rocks. My windshield has several pitted chips on it and my poor front bumper.

bigeshorte45

iTrader: (3)

Hope this link helps, I'm not sure if everything is 100% correct but i check it if i am wondering about any laws... also, keep in touch under the Hampton Roads/VA thread theres a few of us from Richmond on here so don't be a stranger!
heres the link:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp...10000000000000

LoveMyTL-S

I used to live in Norfolk and I HATED the way the exits were set up. Everyone has to merge into the exit and merge out at the same spot, what a nightmare. I can imagine the accident statitics.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Yea, but NY is worse, especially on Long Island. The entrances are such a sharp turn you can do maybe 25 around them, then you have to speed to 55-65 all in 20 feet before the onramp dissapears, all while trying to fight traffic. And I love that they decided to install stop signs on the on ramps there making the whole thing much, much worse.

D'sNBP

Thanks for the link. It's very useful and I see why you use it a lot. I'm starting to use the forums more since I can now get on it at work.

1995hoo

I've lived in Virginia since 1974. I don't think the cops here are all that strict for the most part. <pause to knock on wooden computer desk> I have four tickets in 20 years of driving and I haven't had one in 10 years. Use common sense on the roads and you ought to be fine.

But do know that the Virginia reckless driving law is a bit hard-assed: speeding 20 mph or more over the posted speed limit or in excess of 80 mph can get you charged with reckless. (It's not an automatic reckless, as the cop still has discretion, but the statute defines those speeds as reckless.) Note that this means that if you drive 11 mph over the speed limit in the 70-mph zone on I-85 (currently the only road in Virginia where 70 mph speed limits are allowed) you can get a reckless. The Republican candidate for governor this year, Bob McDonnell, wants to expand the 70-mph zones. Hopefully if he wins and pushes that through he'll also ask for a re-think of this aspect of the reckless driving laws. 11 over does not warrant a reckless.

Bear in mind that the above is just the statute that says that the speeds noted above are considered reckless. You can still be charged with reckless driving even if you're not going 20 over the speed limit, or in excess of 80 mph, if you operate your vehicle like an ass. Va. Code 46.2-852 provides the general rule: "Irrespective of the maximum speeds permitted by law, any person who drives a vehicle on any highway recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person shall be guilty of reckless driving." ("Recklessly" is a legal concept that essentially says that you intentionally operated your vehicle in a manner that showed willful disregard for safety.) There are a couple of other things that constitute reckless driving as well, such as driving with inadequate brakes, passing on the crest of a hill or a curve where your view is obstructed (unless the road has at least two lanes going in your direction), driving with so much crap in your car that your view is obstructed.....stuff that you have to be a bit of a dumbass to do in the first place. If you want to look at the Code provisions, do a Google search for "Virginia LIS," click the first link that comes up, and type "reckless driving" in the search box. You want the provisions whose section numbers start with "46.2" as those are the ones that apply to normal motor vehicle operations.

Do not go over 90 mph in Northern Virginia. The traffic court judges in Fairfax County will give you one day in jail per mph in excess of 90 mph. (I'm an attorney and I have seen it happen when I've been in court on other matters.) There's enough traffic and road construction up here right now that you'd have to be an ass to go that fast anyway. The Beltway is a major mess due to two widening projects. There is also an effort lately to enforce the "move over law," as mentioned above, and here in Fairfax County the cops have been trying to emphasize work zone safety due to the number of road works projects going on at the moment.

As mentioned by others, HOV lanes are a Big Deal. Don't violate them. The fines for repeat offenders escalate very quickly.

Someone mentioned the biannual emissions inspection. That's not required everywhere in Virginia. Check the DMV's website for information (http://www.dmvnow.com) to see if it applies to the county or city in which you will live. ("City": Virginia has 39 independent cities that are not part of any county. For example, Fairfax County and Fairfax City are two separate entities.)

The safety inspection is required annually, as others have mentioned. You can find the full procedure if you do a Google search for "Virginia safety inspection"; the program is administered by the state police (not the DMV) and you'll find the procedure on their site. It's not a major hassle if you just get it done when you take your car in for servicing. Alternatively, you can take it to most service stations. Some inspectors can be very nitpicky about every last detail, others aren't. If you tint your windows too much, there's a fair chance you'll fail the inspection. Driving with an expired inspection sticker, or with a rejection sticker, is a good way to get a ticket. Notwithstanding what someone from Maryland said up the thread, most people I know think that it's a good law (if a bit of a nuisance) because it keeps the real piece-of-crap dangerous cars off the road. Maryland has no safety inspection except when you sell the car. Look at the crapmobiles you see in Maryland, especially in the immigrant communities and PG County, and you'll see what I mean. A lot of those would fail the safety inspection in Virginia.

Keep the front plate on your car. Lately I've seen more people without them, but if a cop is having a slow day he'll pull you over, and if you already got pulled over for something else you'll be certain to get a second ticket. If you are an out-of-state resident such as a student, or if you are in the military and you will keep your out-of-state plates, and your home state issues only a rear plate, then you're fine—having one plate is a non-issue. They can't very well require a plate you don't have.

But you do need to find out whether you're liable for car tax even as an out-of-stater. Check your local government's (county or city) website for that information. It's usually called "personal property tax" on their sites and it is a Big Deal because it's one of the two major sources of local government funding (real estate taxes being the other). The general rule is that if you are living in a jurisdiction for more than a certain number of days per year and you park a car there, you owe car tax there. The car tax is paid once a year in a lump sum and you will receive a bill for it. Also, many counties and cities require an annoying thing known as "the county sticker." This odious thing typically costs $25, paid at the same time as your car tax, and it goes on the windshield to the right of the state inspection sticker as you look through the windshield. It's odious because the purpose of it is to prove that you paid your car tax (i.e., you pay $25 more to prove that you paid the fucking tax....is that unbelievably obnoxious or what?). Not all jurisdictions have these; Fairfax County blessedly got rid of them starting in 2007. Ask your neighbors if your locality has a county sticker, or just look at their windshields. If you see two stickers next to each other, then you probably need a county sticker. Failure to have one WILL get you a ticket if your jurisdiction requires a sticker.

Regarding radar detectors, the law says that you can have one in your car if it is in a location where it has no power supply and is inaccessible to the driver or any passenger. That means the trunk. The law is written this way because they recognize that every other state allows radar detectors and thus it would be unconstitutional to ban possession of them. As a practical matter, if you keep it under the driver's seat during the day, and if you use a concealed display at night, you ought to be fine. Be aware that if you have your radar detector on and you slow down when it goes off, and the cop notices this, you have given him probable cause to search your vehicle for a radar detector. (This issue went up before either the Virginia Court of Appeals or the Virginia Supreme Court sometime in the 1970s or 1980s and the court ruled as I just described.) On the other hand, if you're bombing along at 90+ mph, it might be worth standing on the brakes because the radar detector fine might be less than the reckless driving fine and possible jail time.

The point schedule is administered by the DMV, not the courts, and you can find the point information on the DMV site I linked before.

It is the law that you must use your headlights when your wipers are on due to inclement weather. A lot of assholes ignore this law and I've never seen anyone ticketed for ignoring it, but it doesn't matter—whether it's the law or not, you should have your lights on in the rain. It is also the law that you must yield the passing lane to a faster vehicle (regardless of whether he's speeding) upon audible or visible signal; again, this is not enforced, but regardless of the law it is common courtesy and only an asshole cruises in the left lane. Unfortunately, we have a lot of assholes in Virginia because it seems like drivers here hog the left lane more than anyone else....wherever I go in North America, if someone's hogging the left lane more often than not they have Virginia plates.

The bottom line is that if you use common sense and don't rice up your car too much you should be fine. Ricey-looking cars, cars with stupid coke can exhaust systems, and cars with heavy tint tend to get pulled over more because of the obvious reason that they stand out more (plus a lot of them in the DC area seem to be driven by people with a "fuck-you" attitude who weave in and out of traffic, tailgate, etc.). If you want your car to attract attention, remember that attention runs both good and bad!

D'sNBP

Wow! Thanks for the link and the info. If ever I need an attorney you're the one I'm calling for sure! I didn't know about the county sticker. Thanks for the advice.