Speed Limits in Virginia

Generally speaking, a speed limit is the speed determined to be the top safest speed on a given road. Due to this, drivers are required to follow the speed limit, and going any speed over the limit is thereby a ticketable violation.

To learn more about the different speed limits in Virginia and potential defense if you are caught exceeding the speed limit, read below before calling and scheduling a consultation with a Virginia speeding ticket lawyer.

Types of Speed Limits

Overall, there are three different types of speed limits that are typically found: absolute speed limits, presumed speed limits, and basic speed limits. Read below to learn more about what each means and which types applies to drivers in Virginia.

Absolute Speed Limit

An absolute speed limit means that it is illegal to go at any speed over the posted speed limit. So very simply whatever the speed limit says is the speed limit, anything over that is ticketable.

Presumed Speed Limit

Presumed speed limit puts the burden of proof on to the defendant. This means that it is okay to drive over the posted speed limit as long as you are driving safe, however, it is your responsibility to prove in court that going over the speed limit was safe.

Basic Speed Limit

A basic speed limit takes into consideration the conditions existing at the time of the incident separate from what the posted speed limit is. This means that if the speed limit is say 50 miles per hour but it is raining, then it is no longer safe to go 50 miles per hour because you have to take into consideration the weather, which means that someone could be ticketed for going 50 miles per hour even though it would not be violating the absolute speed limit. The basic speed limit is violated because the conditions made it no longer safe to drive 50 miles per hour.

What Type of Speed Limits Does Virginia Have?

Most states, including Virginia, are absolute speed limit states, meaning that it is illegal to go over whatever the posted speed limit is. With that said, however every single state has basic speed limits as well meaning you can still be pulled over if you go faster than conditions allow. There are only a handful of states that follow presumed speed limits.

What is The Highest Speed Limit in Virginia?

The highest speed limit in Virginia for highway is 70 miles per hour. The risks that come with speeding on a highway are that someone who’s driving at a very high speed is going to have a much slower reaction time than someone going at a slower speed. The reaction time is minimized as well as the time that they have to react. So this altogether results in a stronger likelihood of collision if something were to go wrong and it also results in accidents more likely to be fatal or result in serious injury.

How Do You Know The Speed Limit If There Is No Sign?

If there is no sign, the speed limit defaults to the following:

• Businesses and residential areas: 25 miles per hour.
• Secondary roads: the speed limits defaults to 55 miles per hour for regular passenger vehicles and 45 miles per hour for trucks.
• Unpaved roads: 35 miles per hour.

What Are The Advantages of Having Virginia Speeding Ticket Lawyer?

The advantage of having an experienced Virginia speeding ticket lawyer is that you will have somebody on your side who can explain to you exactly what it is that you are being charged with and what that means, not only in the short term, but also in the long term.

Many people mistakenly believe that a speeding ticket is not a big deal because the points go away over time and so does the conviction, so why worry about it? But in reality, it can have consequences on so much more than just the immediate inconvenience of having a speeding ticket.

You could have higher insurance premiums and you could have your license suspended by accumulating too many points. There are a lot of things that can be avoided if you have an attorney on your side helping you out.