Insurance Companies Are Paying Fewer Claims: What Virginia Drivers Need to Know
Posted on September 8, 2026
Virginia Statute §46.2-818.2 created a total ban on holding mobile devices when driving, with the exception of motorists who are lawfully stopped and parked, or reporting an emergency.
Virginia Statute 46.5-810.1 expands on previous legislation that made it unlawful to smoke in a motor vehicle in the presence of minors under the age of 15.
All vehicle drivers must stop when yielding to pedestrians at marked crosswalks, lateral boundary lines of adjacent sidewalks, and any intersection where the maximum speed limit is no more than 35 mph.
Speeders can be found guilty of per se reckless driving for driving more than 20 miles per hour above the posted speed limit, or driving in excess of 85 miles per hour regardless of the speed limit. This raises the threshold for per se reckless driving from the previous 80 miles per hour.
Virginia Statute § 18.2-268.3 allows a person convicted of a first offense of refusal of breathalyzer or blood tests to determine BAC to petition the court for a restricted driver’s license. The restricted license is not applicable to commercial motor vehicles.
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles must return or reinstate any person’s driver’s license that was suspended prior to July 1, 2019, solely for nonpayment of fines or costs. Any person who is convicted of violating the law cannot have their driver’s license suspended just because they are unable to or refuse to pay fines and costs.
A person’s driver’s license cannot be suspended based on a deferred disposition for a drug offense, non-payment of certain fees owed to a regional jail or correctional facility, or for shoplifting motor fuel.
Children in Virginia must remain in rear-facing car seats until the age of 2 or the minimum weight limit called for by the car seat manufacturer. If your car does not have a back seat, the child may sit in the front passenger seat but only when the passenger seat airbag is deactivated.
Holding a cell phone while driving in a Virginia road work zone is against the law. Violators will face a $250 fine.
Failing to move over or slow down for police, fire, EMS and similar vehicles stopped with flashing lights will now be reckless driving, similar to speeding over 85 mph. Penalties for reckless driving in Virginia include up to a year in jail or a fine up to $2,500.
Dooring occurs when a motorist opens a vehicle’s door in the path of an oncoming vehicle or cyclist. The impact can seriously injure a bicyclist.
