VBirginia State Police...Be Careful - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

LancePearson · 09-09-2013

Just a note to tell you that the State police in Virginia have the legislature's backing with among if not the toughest speeding laws in the country as far as I can tell. Further, they have figured out that the department can be self funding writing tickets and have a new tactic rolled out last weekend with six big BMW cycles under an underpass with radar and one car and they sit on the interstates, the interstate circular bypasses like I 295 where I saw them while in my Z and going the speed limit and not a mph more. Virginia is a state a lot of out of state people pass through going north or south and has heavy interstate traffic.

There is a local non state police sheriff in a local town below Richmond, the town of Hopewell, Va., who on interstate 295 in a one mile stretch around mile 10 or so writes more than Two Million Dollars of tickets a year. Almost always see the Sheriff's four cars there stopping people on a 70 mph Interstate. State cops say it's legal and the local papers now call it "the two million dollar mile." Hopewell's biggest single revenue source. The state police appear to have taken a message from it and are getting set up to do the same.

It is all in the name of safety according to the Hopewell Sheriff and the state police commissioner but when police departments are self funding those chiefs get raises and politicians love them. That is the case in Va.

A speeding ticket here by a state guy if you are going 20 over and more than 80 mph is $3,400 over three years plus loss of license for a year and can be jail time if considered reckless by the judge. My going 145 in a 55 zone would qualify for all of that if I had ever done it. Same for you.

As an aside which I agree with, driving under the influence in this state now if caught the average total cost according to the police for one ticket without considering insurance is now $12,000. You are generally required to put an interlock alcohol testing device on your car, driving and alcohol schools, tickets, fines, loss of license, etc.

Radar detectors are illegal to have in the car or use in Va. and they do confiscate them. I have one but haven't used it yet on the Vette as I have not taken it out of state.

So, a word to the wise regarding Virginia Highways...stick within the laws as this state is becoming like the old speed trap revenue generating states of decades ago...every bit of that and more just using the Interstates to do it where it is safer for them to run people down and write the tickets.

The national stats for tickets for 2011 I saw were $6.3 billion dollars for speeding, $300,000 written per trooper involved in writing them.

That was a year ago before Virginia really got organized as above.

I have not gotten any tickets but beware of Virginia.

09-09-2013	#1
LancePearson Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Chester, Virginia Posts: 457	VBirginia State Police...Be Careful Just a note to tell you that the State police in Virginia have the legislature's backing with among if not the toughest speeding laws in the country as far as I can tell. Further, they have figured out that the department can be self funding writing tickets and have a new tactic rolled out last weekend with six big BMW cycles under an underpass with radar and one car and they sit on the interstates, the interstate circular bypasses like I 295 where I saw them while in my Z and going the speed limit and not a mph more. Virginia is a state a lot of out of state people pass through going north or south and has heavy interstate traffic. There is a local non state police sheriff in a local town below Richmond, the town of Hopewell, Va., who on interstate 295 in a one mile stretch around mile 10 or so writes more than Two Million Dollars of tickets a year. Almost always see the Sheriff's four cars there stopping people on a 70 mph Interstate. State cops say it's legal and the local papers now call it "the two million dollar mile." Hopewell's biggest single revenue source. The state police appear to have taken a message from it and are getting set up to do the same. It is all in the name of safety according to the Hopewell Sheriff and the state police commissioner but when police departments are self funding those chiefs get raises and politicians love them. That is the case in Va. A speeding ticket here by a state guy if you are going 20 over and more than 80 mph is $3,400 over three years plus loss of license for a year and can be jail time if considered reckless by the judge. My going 145 in a 55 zone would qualify for all of that if I had ever done it. Same for you. As an aside which I agree with, driving under the influence in this state now if caught the average total cost according to the police for one ticket without considering insurance is now $12,000. You are generally required to put an interlock alcohol testing device on your car, driving and alcohol schools, tickets, fines, loss of license, etc. Radar detectors are illegal to have in the car or use in Va. and they do confiscate them. I have one but haven't used it yet on the Vette as I have not taken it out of state. So, a word to the wise regarding Virginia Highways...stick within the laws as this state is becoming like the old speed trap revenue generating states of decades ago...every bit of that and more just using the Interstates to do it where it is safer for them to run people down and write the tickets. The national stats for tickets for 2011 I saw were $6.3 billion dollars for speeding, $300,000 written per trooper involved in writing them. That was a year ago before Virginia really got organized as above. I have not gotten any tickets but beware of Virginia.