Speeding is one of those crimes that people rarely give a second thought to because almost every driver is guilty. Even if you are always very aware of the speed limit and commit to honoring it, you may slip up on occasion. It is easy to do to go a few miles over the posted limit. Most Virginia drivers know that if they speed, they could end up with a ticket and have to pay a fine. However, there are situations where speeding could also land you in jail.
Speeding becomes a jailable offense when you exceed 80 miles per hour, according to WTOP. At this speed, it is considered reckless driving. You could face up to one year of jail time if a court finds you guilty. Law enforcement may even arrest you at the time of the traffic stop, which means you could spend at least a night in jail right away.
It is important to understand that the rules always apply when going 80 mph, even if the set speed limit is 70 mph. You are only going 10 mph over the set limit, but it will not change anything. The law is pretty strict. In addition, it is also reckless driving if you go 20 mph over the posted speed limit, so it is possible to get this charge going 55 mph if you are in a 35 mph zone or 45 mph if you are in a 25 mph zone.
There are attempts to make changes to the law to make it less strict. Some have suggested raising the limit to 85 mph in 70 mph zones with the 20 mph over other speed limits staying the same. The argument is this is fairer since in other zones the rule is 20 mph over the speed limit. This information is for education and is not legal advice.
