Virginia natives know the law about radar detectors. And any visitor to the Commonwealth has seen the huge warning signs as they cross the border.
Welcome to Virginia, but watch your speed!
A bill that would have repealed Virginia’s radar detector ban failed in the House of Delegates on the 11th. The bill was quite simple, just trying to repeal the entire statute regarding radar detectors. It would have legalized detectors in the Commonwealth and caused the removal of those wonderful signs at the borders.
The Free Lance-Star reported that the House actually voted on the bill twice. It failed by a narrow margin the first time. The House reconsidered and rejected it by a larger margin on the second vote.
Unless Virginia some day repeals the radar detector ban, you can’t legally use one. The only way you can even have it in your vehicle is if it’s not plugged in and it’s not accessible to anyone in the vehicle. To me, that means it must be somewhere like the trunk.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I thought that the US was rather more liberal than the UK with things like this…seems they like their speed guns just as much as their real guns!
I’ve got a BTST radar detector myself and it works a treat – and is totally legal! (for now…).
Yes, I know in some countries, the radar detector is prohibited. But, I also use a radar detector because I like racing. And the radar detector is able to control my speed.
Virginians have the option of using an undetectable radar detector such as the Escort Redline or the Beltronics STi Driver. Also, from what I hear the fine for using a radar detector is far less than actually getting a speeding ticket.
@Michael – The problem is that police can see the radar detector in the windshield. And I’ve had several clients who got speeding tickets (actually reckless driving by speed, which is a misdemeanor in Virginia) while using a radar detector. So they got two tickets instead of one.
The best bet in Virginia is to not use a radar detector. If you’re going to speed, drive below 80 mph and less than 20 mph over the speed limit. That way if you’re caught you’ll just get a regular speeding ticket, not a reckless driving misdemeanor charge.
It sounds like if you live in Virginia you are out of luck. Virginians should follow the law to stay out of trouble. But that is not a reason not to buy one if you do a lot of traveling in your vehicle in other states of the Union.
@Andrew – Wow, those laws in Virginia are something. What is the penalty for using a radar detector?
@Michael – It’s just a traffic infraction. The uniform fine schedule from the Supreme Court of Virginia says it’s a $40 fine, but that could vary depending upon the judge. And of course there are court costs, which usually start at $51.