VA state police cracking down on GPS

I take exception to this. Virginia is not going after gps. The original post was several months ago, and in fact the original poster made one post and never answered any of the questions that were replies to him.

I live in Virginia, and as I have posted many times, there is no specific law against GPS on the windshield. What is there, is a law concerning obstructed windshields that predates GPS units by 50 years or more.

Further, like the seatbelt law, it's a secondary offense and can't be used as a reason for a traffic stop.

Regarding the radar detectors, that law was put into effect 25 years or so ago, and VA is not the only state that bans them.

Before you go calling a state communist, you should probably go look up the meaning of the the word.

Third, if you don't like Virginia laws, you should probably avoid driving here.

Off my soapbox.

Does anyone know if other states are talking the same approach as VA?

What's amusing about this thread is the original post by Asian Fire is about 2 years old. Nothing was stated until about a year later, then it ran dormant again for a period of time before someone else commented on the original article.

I think everyone is getting in a dither over a one time action that is really old news and is almost in the realm of an urban ledgend.

About Radar Detector legality:

Law varies from state to state, but detectors are generally legal in private vehicles under the Communications Act of 1934[15] and illegal in commercial vehicles by DOT regulation (49 CFR 392.71). Exceptions:

*
o Illegal in all vehicles: Virginia, Washington D.C., U.S. military bases
o Illegal in commercial vehicles under state law: Illinois, New York, New Jersey (specifically, commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) and all vehicles over 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg)) Also illegal in all commercial vehicles over 10000lbs under US federal law
o Indirectly illegal (Illegal due to prohibitions against affixing items to windshield - "obstructing vision"): Minnesota, California[1], New York[16]

Yes you do. You need a D.A. etc.......

unbelievable.

Yep. old thread... Nice avatar a_user

Wow, this is crazy...although I'm not shocked. One time in New York State I got a ticket for "obstructed view" when I had a parking permit for the school I went to hanging from my rearview mirror. I can't complain though. I got pulled over for speeding and the police officer was kind enough to let me off with only the obstruction of view ticket. Fortunately it didn't add any points to my license and I only had to mail in a $50 fine.

I agree with the other Virginia drivers who've already commented. I, too, live in Virginia and have never had a problem with my GPS, either friction or window mounted. The obstruction law is an old one and not targeted toward GPS users.

livlovesmustangs' comment raises a good point. Under the same law, Virginia drivers are not allowed to drive with their handicap permit hanging from their rear view window. This doesn't mean Virginia is targeting handicap drivers anymore than they're targeting GPS users.

Much ado about nothing, IMO.

Yep, VA really sucks. They got me for having a radar detector 3 times. They have detector detectors.

Doesn't matter, they can detect the detector no matter where it is. Trust me, I know. It isn't illegal to have a radar detector, only to "operate" one in VA. If you leave it in place and turn it off you are OK. If it is on, they can detect it.

Shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Looks to me like you would have only picked up that hot horseshoe one time.

They just want your hard earning money legally so they can keep their job. This is a freedom country but you not always have freedom even in your own way to place the GPS in your own car.

Simple answer, I'll avoid spending my tourist dollars in VA. There are plenty of states that welcome me.

Looks like they removed it from there site.

It's your loss. There is one post about a news article a year ago. Quite a few VA residents have posted that it isn't true.

I agree completely! Lets be adults here

Ok and you know thy have this technology, am I correct in guessing this? And you have gotten three tickets! I myself would be embarrassed to admit that.

But does make for interesting reading, so thanks!
File this under, the GPS told me too turn and go off the cliff.

VA has always had a thing about radar detectors etc. In point of truth their dash cams obscure more than my beanbag or windshield mounted gps ever did. I think that I am much more concerned about the smokey who was text messaging his girlfriend while traveling on a response at over 100 mph and had a fatal accident. DUH!

§ 46.2-1054. Suspension of objects or alteration of vehicle so as to obstruct driver's view.

It shall be unlawful for any person to drive a motor vehicle on a highway in the Commonwealth with any object or objects, other than a rear view mirror, sun visor, or other equipment of the motor vehicle approved by the Superintendent, suspended from any part of the motor vehicle in such a manner as to obstruct the driver's clear view of the highway through the windshield, the front side windows, or the rear window, or to alter a passenger-carrying vehicle in such a manner as to obstruct the driver's view through the windshield. However, this section shall not apply (i) when the driver's clear view of the highway through the rear window is obstructed if such motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side, so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle, (ii) to safety devices installed on the windshields of vehicles owned by private waste haulers or local governments and used to transport solid waste, or (iii) to bicycle racks installed on the front of any bus operated by any city, county, transit authority, or transit or transportation district.

GPS devices are not the only concern. A favorite trick here in Michigan has been to suspend "stuff" from your mirror. That will now get you pulled over.

Distractions between the driver and the rest of traffic are a big problem. Unfortunately, our brains are very good at detecting "unplanned" motion in the view of the individual. Putting things into that field of view turns off that ability.

So, ... put your GPS below the dash if possible, and if not, as far away from the visible road as possible.

You should know better than that!! You've most probably got LOCAL LICENSE PLATES and they don't want to bother you with tickets you can contest! It is the Out-of-State License Plates that attract the VA Cops (or any other State Cops) because they know that the possibility of the driver contesting is really remote.

This whole thing is nothing but a REVENUE STREAM for the Police Departments and smacks of Corruption of the System that is ostensibly there for the 'protection' of citizens.

In the Thrid World, it is people who could be corrupt. In our country, it is WHOLE DEPARTMENTS AND THE SYSTEM ITSELF THAT IS CORRUPT!!!

What about all the devices that the police have in their windshields? It certainly is an obstruction to their view. The police and highway patrol in Virginia have always been very strict and non-tolerant. This state is a police state of sorts.

Instead of fighting the law, just purchase a vent mount and take the time to get used to the minor inconvenience of not having it prominently placed on the dash, plus it keeps it out of the view of opportunist thieves who are looking for a quick and easy target.
The only minor problem with the vent mount is that it causes the vent to become somewhat loose after much use.
Amazon.com for about $5. plus I got mine with free shipping.

Define Police State. Virginia police are no more intolerant or stricter than the police in any of the other states.

Routinely I travel through Virginia and make sure I am going 1-2 miles lower than the posted speed. There are always speed traps and people are always stopped. Just last year I was in the car when the driver got a ticket for going 71 in a 70 zone!!! The cost of the ticket was $128. The Virginia state troopers have a reputation for intolerance and strictness.

I live in VA. Have all my life. There are no 70mph speed limits in VA. 65 is the max. So the fine fellow is telling you a lie.

I routinely run a 8 mph over the speed limit and have never had a speeding ticket.

Even on the No Tolerance Enforcement Weekends the tolerance is at least 5mph over. Because no car speedometer is accurate to less than 5mph, it's extremely hard to enforce. In fact, more than 80% of the speeding tickets written on these weekends are for 75mph or faster, which is 10 miles over the limit.

I think perhaps you should stop bashing any particular state especially when you are using hearsay and lies as the basis.

http://www.virginiadot.org/info/faq-speedlimits.asp

Unfortunately it's just a matter of time before the jack-booted thugs in D.C. (and elsewhere) realize the fines (read Taxes) that can be extorted from the general public.

Then you need to let the patrolman who wrote the ticket know that he wrote the wrong speed on the ticket. This happened in Abingdon, VA. There are always many over anxious highway patrolmen in the area. Now if a state is going to pass a law to keep GPS out of the windshields, when they are not really invasive, why will they let their patrolmen clutter their windshields with electronics. Virginia is not a friendly state for driving and the laws are strict. It is obvious that there is a margin of error in a speedometer, but when you are traveling through a state with an out of state plate, then you are targeted. The patrolmen have to get their quotas someway. I am not bashing your state or using untruths.

It's obvious you've never been to Virginia, otherwise you wouldn't be making such unsubstantiated claims. The fact that you still maintain the ticket was for 71 in a 70 mph zone is evidence of the falsity of your claims. The maximum speed limit in the whole state of Virginia is 65 mph. There are no 70 mph zones,

Not only did the Officer not write the wrong speed on the ticket, the Clerk of the Court and the Judge would have caught it if it was.

The only speeding ticket I have had in my life was in Virginia. That was in 1956 with the speed traps set up for the Sailors. Nice to see nothing has changed.

Sorry Phranc,

I-85 heading south out of Richmond is 70. I just drove it as part of my route from DC to Charlotte, but as far as I remember, it is the ONLY 70 MPH highway in VA. I-81 cranks up to 70, but that is at the WV line.

So you routinely break the law? You are lucky that you have not been cited. If you continue to speed, it will only be a matter of time before you get a speeding ticket.

Did you not read the link I posted? There are no 70 mph speed limits in Virginia. The speed limit goes from 65 to 70 at the North Carolina state line.

For the most part, Virginia has chosen to follow those guidelines. Now that clearly states there can be and are exceptions to the 65 limit.

If you want more verification from something other than a web site, you can call Malcolm Kerley, VDOT's Chief Engineer or Ray Khoury the Chief Traffic Engineer. Both are in Richmond.

Here's the link to the Virginia State Code governing windshield obstruction devices. It says nothing about GPS and it is very vague.

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-105...

Nope, not embarrassed at all. I drove on Virginia for 5 years, over 100 miles a day. Speeding is also illegal in VA with the fine and insurance implications a lot worse than a radar detector violation. The detector saved me from speeding tickets plenty of times.

I just drove this past weekend from Tidwater to Durham, NC, and I can tell you that on I85 from exit 12 (Rt 58) to the NC line, the speed limit is 70.

Just so you know.

Joe

They have the authority to make laws, that`s why. They say is for safety and I say it is for the revenue.
Why don`t they pass a law that any car can not pass 75 miles, because they can not!
They have blinders on, they want their retirement to be guaranteed by implementing laws for revenue. If they stop Golden handshakes would be a more effective way than banning gps. Some priorities are misguided, and in the name of safety, and this one is no exception.

I've seen many people mount it on the center of the windshield, somewhat below the mirror. IMHO, that is a significant obstruction of your view, and if they equally enforce the fuzzy dice hanging from your mirror, probably accurate. However, if you're allowed to hang dice, air freshener, diploma there, the GPS shouldn't be any different either.

I dunno, but I always mount mine on the side window, out of the way of the mirror. I hate things obstructing my forward vision....

They don't they wont to keep there jobs. VA SPD are mwny things but they are not fools.

those wankers in California in on that one, they will see this opportunity as a way to reline their coffers. Any excuse to raise money on the backs of the taxpayers for their petty projects is viewed by our lawmakers as the last extension of the "motherload".

take my dancing Blessed Virgin down already!

California has a million of "em"

We have our electronic log machine suctioned cupped the windshield wonder if they will ticket us for that too.

money and not safety. There has to be a way to push these locals. Will just stop going there completely.

Just to add something to this conversation. I just had my July VA state inspection done. I had my GPS mounted low in the center of the windshield, down below the mirror. In my opinion, it was not blocking the view of anything other than a portion of the hood of my vehicle. However, the inspector kindly informed me that he removed it from the windshield. What I got from what he said was that technically it could fail inspection because it was an obstruction. The law doesn't appear to define an acceptable spot for such things, but I will try a different location. Maybe they are starting to get more strict about these things.

I used to be a state inspector here in VA - many moons ago.

Look at the pink slip that they put in the glove box. I'll be willing to bet that you will find a check mark in the "Remove" column. That means that techicnally the vehicle did not really pass the inspection (without correction). The VA State Police get a copy of all the inspections done and they do "Spot" checks to see how many cars do NOT pass. There is a window that the inspection station should fall in. Too many with no faults will raise a Red Flag, as well as too many rejections or corrections. Too many 100% passes will say you are too easy and too many rejections or repairs would mean you're screwing the customer.

Or it could have been an over-eager rookie inspector. I once had a friends car fail for bad Tie Rod ends. I looked at it and found out that the wheel bearings just needed to be tightened up (which I did and then rechecked). He took it back and the guy would not pass it, because the tie rod ends had not been replaced (my friend was only gone an hour). He would not re-inspect it, because he "knew" it would fail. My friend got on the phone and called the local State Police barracks about the dispute. In 15 minutes, a trooper showed up and had the inspector do the same tests that I did to check for looseness and it passed. The kid was red-faced and apologetic. This was at the most trusted shop in town (at that time - it closed when the owner retired).

At any rate, I would call the local state police barracks and ask to talk to a trooper to clarify whether you can place it on the windshield or not. Mine is on top of the dash and below the "Hood Line", so I think I'm OK. But then again, a city or county officer might interpert the law differently. "Ya never know"

I wonder if this could be something you could fight in court if you got a ticket.