This is why I had to stop making car videos in Virginia. Great place to grow up - not an awesome place to be a car lover.

I've lived in Virginia for 44 years. I was ticketed for 10 miles over the limit after they LOWERED the speed limit from 45 to 35, temporarily, on a ¼ mile section of road. There was not any construction, nothing. It was simply lowered. The limit was then raised back to 45 before my scheduled court date even arrived. I was still prosecuted to the full fine! From the ages of 17 - 19, I would be pulled over “randomly” and my car would be searched for drugs and weapons. This would happen about once every two months. One time the cops, being frustrated not finding anything illegal, seized my stereo, amps, and speakers claiming they were stolen. I had to go to court with the receipts and a lawyer to get them returned. Finally, I wound up keeping a list of dates I’d be pulled over and would hand it to the officers along with the registration. The officers would ask what the list of dates was and when I told them they stopped asking to search the car and started saying, “drive safely and have a nice day”. I’ve never had a Virginia Police Officer help me. I’ve only encountered negative interactions with them. Topping it all off, “to serve and protect” is no longer on the graphics of police cars in my little slice of Virginia.

I remember reading about a city in Texas that had a dead person signing the “verified” red light camera tickets, the system was automated with a rubber stamped signature. It was only discovered when another policeman, that knew the deceased, received a ticket signed by his dead friend. They were also caught having shorter timings on red lights with cameras than ones without, resulting in more tickets, but they weren’t the only ones caught doing it. This is why people have trust issues.

As a Virginia native living in a small town I once saw a police officer in a Ford Explorer sitting in between two Ford Explorers at a dealership running radar for people that passed by as part of a speed trap.

Virginia: 55 Texas: 85 German Autobahn: The speed of light.

100 People in VA lost their license by the time this video ended.

My wife once got a speeding ticket while visiting family in VA for doing 70 in a 50. We are from NJ so she needed to return to VA several months later to appear in court. A few things we found out about ticketing in VA. #1. Do not go more than 19 MPH above the speed limit, because anything 20 MPH or more, and your moving violation turns into a MISDEMEANOR. You read that right. A misdemeanor. So it becomes a criminal offense, punishable up to 12 months in jail, with fines. #2. The police TARGET out of state plates, especially ones from NY and NJ. #3. Even if you're polite to the police officer, unless you are bleeding and/or currently in cardiac arrest, you WILL receive a ticket if you are stopped. Not worth a conversation or argument. Just hand over your documentation and wait for your summons. Moral of the story? Avoid VA.

Funny story: I live on a naval base and got suspended for speeding, the officer said I was going 50 in the 25, wasn’t even able to plead my case, turns out that speed was fabricated so that the cops could meet their monthly quota

As soon as we saw the video title, all of us driving enthusiasts said, "Virginia".

They didn't mention the 81+ MPH reckless law. If you're going 81 even in a 70 in Virginia, you automatically get a reckless. Personal experience.

My story: active duty stationed in Virginia most of my career (other than deployments overseas). One time, I received a wreckless driving by speeding ticket on a highway exit ramp. The cop wrote the ticket as though the speed limit was the ramp suggested speed - not the actual speed limit. By the actual speed limit, I was doing 2 mph over. Yeah, two - and written a wreckless driving. I was so infuriated that I did hire an attorney (and shelled out almost 3k for it) to fight it even citing Virginia's own driving code as well as the DMV manuals. The cop didn't have a leg to stand on and it was quickly apparent that he wrote a ticket for something that wasn't even illegal. So, what did the judge do about it? He dropped it from a wreckless to an improper driving. Yeah. lol. You can't make this shit up. The judge, literally, saw that I was barely speeding according to state law - and still pushed the issue as far as he could (cause he knew that he let the wreckless go, I'd have make a big scene out of it to whoever would pay me enough attention. That includes the media if they would have.) I had my entire military chain-of-command in the back of the courtroom, by the way. The ticket was finally dismissed, however, after the judge asked for my driving record. I had already pulled my own out-of-state record and had it certified and mailed to me, previously, so I handed it over. It was impressive. Clean as a whistle - though, I had been driving since I was 15. Not withstanding this, the officer shows the judge "my" driving record that he had pulled - which contrasted, drastically, to my own certified copy. What gives? Well, the cop pulled the wrong record. He pulled the record of someone with my same last name but a different first name (I actually knew the guy from high school, ironically) and his record had TONS of infractions. So, was the officer just incredibly inept as his job or was he intentionally trying to manipulate the system to receive a harsher punishment for me? Who knows. Honestly, who cares. Either way, he deserves to be fired, in my opinion. Certainly, you can't trust him to do what he's paid to do, regardless. He still works there to my knowledge, though, and so does the corrupt judge. Newport News, Virginia, you are garbage. Yep...

I live in VA and this is pretty accurate. The one thing you didn't mention, though, is the insane amount of state troopers we have just for "traffic enforcement". I like to call them road pirates. Depending on the county/city the local cops can be pretty bad too. I once had a county cop pull me over because he said I wasn't wearing my seat belt, when there was no way he could have seen whether I was wearing it or not. And I was actually wearing my seat belt while I was driving, but when I stopped my car I had to unbuckle to get my registration out of the glove compartment because my seatbelt would lock up even when I wasn't breaking hard. So I know for a fact he pulled me for no reason, and I called him out on his bullshit. Then he gave me a ticket for having an air freshener hanging from my mirror instead, which is apparently illegal in VA.

You forgot the second part of that Reckless Driving law: 80 is automatically reckless driving. So, if the speed limit on a section of highway is 70 and you are doing 10 over and get pulled over, you get that reckless driving also.

This is why I drive a jeep, you feel like you're going 100, but you're really only going 45mph

As a former VA driver, I can confirm. There's an other little town on 95 called Emporia ( a main pass through when heading South to FL, GA, and the Carolinas) that it probably the best known by VA drivers for speed traps. I literally saw 5 cruisers lined up after coming over a hill one time. I live in Japan now and I have yet to see a speed trap. It is a much less stressful environment to drive in.

my first memory of VA was their "speed monitored by aircraft" sign. my second memory was leaving.

I live in va. I once had a cop ask me to raise my voice and then yell at me For raising my voice

Country roads Take me home To the place I belong... Around Virginia

I got a ticket mailed to me from Baltimore, and when I looked into it the cameras have to be calibrated. When I looked at my specific camera, it hadn't been calibrated in over 2yrs. When I brought that up to have it dropped, they sent me a pdf with an "updated" camera calibration that was dated properly. I never paid it and it got dropped.

I currently live in Norfolk, Virginia, and avoiding speed traps is kind of an artform. I like to go fast and I always know where speed traps usually are. Thankfully, I've never been pulled over. The 55 mph restriction is abysmally slow, especially when my morning commute is already 30+ minutes. Generally, where I am, cops don't really care if you go 5 to 10 mph over. But not a day goes by where I don't see someone on the shoulder with a cop behind them. Truly is a shit state for drivers

You forgot to mention that in Virginia anything above 80 is automatic reckless. So 81 in a 70 will get you a reckless driving charge

Virginia Natives: “it’s true. All of it.”

I lived 2 years in Virginia (specifically in Virginia Beach, from 2019 to 2021) and I was catched by one of those damm state trooper with his speed laser gun. I was driving at 70 mph and I-264 just 2 miles from my former house. Got 2.000 $ (plus 1 year in jail 😖) reckless driving ticket, my court date and everything... I hired a traffic lawyer 5 min after the trooper stopped me, and he literally saved my life: the judge gave me a case dismissed!

Just moved from CA to VA. Speed traps are significantly more prevalent here! And we frequently say to each other "why is this speed limit so low for this road?!" Also, it makes locals drive faster because they feel "they know the roads" AND likely won't be pulled over with VA Plates - so it causes unsafe road conditions.

As a Virginian, and a young driver, no only does it help the politicians, but getting a suspended license also is a gold mine for insurance companies. Getting a suspended license makes you "a liability" and as we all know, being a liability makes your insurance rates go through the roof 🙏

The reason why it's such a safe state to drive and it's because nobody's got a driver's license they don't want to crash into each other 🤣

Probably the reason it's so safe is that 1 in 6 drivers are paranoid as hell they're gonna get arrested if they get stopped for so much as a missed signal.

As a current VA resident with 3 driving on suspended license charges..this video hit close to home!

I live in Northern Virginia, I have to go through this EVERYDAY.

Man, I was going 20 over in Indiana one time and was PASSED by a cop who just continued to drive like he didn't have a care in the world lol

Georgia has several state statutes that help reduce or prevent "speed traps." Laws like the vehicle being used (police car) to detect speed must be visible from 500 feet (doesn't apply to Georgia State Patrol), and police can't use speed detection within a certain distance of a change in speed limit e.g., you get a short grace distance when the speed limit changes before police can use radar or lidar to detect your speed.

I live in VA. I've been pulled over 40+ times but only got 2 tickets in my life. They pull me for nothing, then let me go when they don't anything worth going to court about. (example: something hanging from my rear view)

As a driver in south Hampton roads, I can confirm that the 55 mph limit is bogus. No one follows it. Why is a four lane highway limited to 55?

As a Virginian, as soon as I say the name of this video, I knew you were going to say Virginia.

Not only this, but in VA they also intentionally hike up your alleged MPH at the time of the incident in order to make more profit, say you were going 66 in a 55mph zone, they will charge you for 74mph(because its a certain dollar amount per mile over the speed limit).

I drove around with a suspended license for a long time because I couldn't pay traffic fines. It was extremely stressful. I'm so glad I have a license now.

As a former VA police officer I can confirm all of this lol. There’s a reason I’m no longer working in that state.

Me: Goes 10 over the limit in Virginia. Police: So you have chosen... death.

There was an entire town that was a speed trap close to where I grew up. They regularly impound vehicles like modified corvettes, mustangs, suvs and even an old iroc. The state finally received enough complaints that the IG was forced to audit the town… only a few of the cops and politicians were given probation the rest were sent to prison and the town was bankrupted. … so at least that story has a happy ending.

Something you forgot. VA has never, and probably will never, figure out how to remove snow from a road. I grew up in PA and I used to think MD did a shitty job clearing roads in the winter. Until I started working in the VA side of DC. I drove to work one morning. The MD beltway was wet, with a tiny bit of slush between lanes here and there. I crossed the American Legion Bridge into VA and road conditions began to deteriorate. By the time I got to the Dulles Toll Road, the beltway was completely snow covered. And I saw the same thing driving home. There was 6" of snow on the VA beltway, but as soon as I crossed the Legion Bridge, the road was just wet.

"The State Of Virginia has flagged this video"

I’m from VA and what he said is completely accurate there’s a big speed trap by Richmond where 81 meets 64 they call it the circle of hell🤬

FOOOR REAAAAL!!!! I have lived in Virginia most of my life and yeah it suuucks to drive here. When I was in my 20s I was ticketed with a few 20+ mph tickets and got my license suspended 2 times. My brother got pulled over doing 30 over and had to do JAIL TIME for speeding. He spent a week behind bars for speeding, speeding! Not to mention the DMV pulling your license if they detect a lapse in your insurance. For instance, your insurance lapses and you get new insurance the next day they will pull your license for not being covered for the day it happened to me, again in my 20s. DMV notifies you by mail and that takes a couple weeks to get to you. In the meantime you can be pulled over for driving on a suspended, I know because that's the second half of the DMV story. All told I had to pay a ticket for driving on a suspended of about $450.00 and the uninsured motorist fee plus a reinstatement fee plus a fee to reissue the driver's license to dmv for about $900 a grand total of about 1400 bucks. I wish I would have never moved back to Virginia, I'm getting pissed just remembering it!!! SO basically the reason why we drive safer in Virginia is because we are scared. Kind of like in the old days when you would get your hand cut off for stealing.

I've only ever been pulled over for speeding once and it was in that EXACT spot in Hopewell.... I always thought this was total tin foil hat... When I was pulled over, there had been two cars pacing each other in the left two lanes, going 10-15 under the speed limit. Then for no damn reason the one pulled ahead of the other and opened the lane. The rest of us floored it to get around them, and I was the last car in the line (also out of state plate) so I got nabbed the cop went in hard with the "I could be sending you to jail speech but that he was going to just put it down as speeding." I got home to NC and called a couple of Richmond law offices which advertised traffic cases, and was basically told I got lucky and to just pay the speeding fine. I won't lie I was speeding, A bunch of us were to get around the slow ass cars, but I always wondered why they cleared the lane right then when they hadn't for like 20 miles. I'm genuinely curious if it was entrapment and the cops exacerbating the situation to prime the trap.

Nolen: “everybody likes to speed” Don’t mess with my discount ad pops

As a virginia native, when I saw the thumbnail for the video and laughed. I knew it was virginia. It blows driving here. So much. I have had multiple road trips of over 12 hours. I will literally see about 6 cops over the course of hundreds of miles, but as soon as I get back to virginia. No lie, I will see 6 within the first hour.

In Colorado I got caught in a speed trap and the officer originally put me down as reckless driving and a ticket that would have been a felony charge in the state. Luckily, through some politeness and honesty with the city attorney, I got it reduced to a simple ticket that just had me pay a fine.

I've been learning that the hundred(s) of towns that make up Maricopa County, AZ (home to Phoenix and Scottsdale) are all apparently competing for the worst place to get pulled over. There's no escaping the fines in court, it's a huge revenue generator and is so unbelievably shady.

Me: *gets pulled over doing 110mph in a 40 on a sport bike* Officer: "I used to ride too, slow down before you die, here's a warning" Go Massachusetts

Knew this was gonna be my fascist state before the video even started

There are sections of highways in Virginia where a 55 MPH zone drops to a 25 MPH zone. The good part is some of these area's where the speed drops the sign is obscured by a tree or bush. The police sit right after the sign so they can get you quick. My brother-in-law from Georgia has gotten tickets twice in Virginia. The bad part is that he got caught speeding both times in the same town.

I can't believe you did an episode about speed traps in Virginia and didn't mention they have those turnaround spots in the woods with perfect cover for hiding every 5 miles or something

"SpeEd LimIt EnForCeD bY AirCrAfT"

Speed traps seem like something you would exploit in a city building game.

I am from VA, this is pretty accurate. It sucks that lots of highways are only 55 and they do reduce the speeds very quickly. Sometimes it -10 to -15 mph! Also, there is this speed trap spot near where I live where police sit at the bottom of a huge incline waiting for drivers to reach the bottom while accidentally going over the speed limit 🙄

As a Virginian car enthusiast I can absolutely confirm that everything here is 100% the truth. Some smaller towns in Virginia are even reliant on unjust speeding tickets, and it’s how they make the great majority of their income. If you’re looking for a safe Virginian road to joy ride on, I highly recommend the blue ridge parkway, although it’s frequently down for maintenance.

Hi, I’m from Virginia and multiple people I know have been pulled over simply for having temporary plates, one of the cops told the driver that they pulled them over not because they were expired but “because they were going to expire eventually”... crazy right???

Without having to watch this video, I agree Proof: I live here

This is so true. I got a ticket around 15 years ago I never paid.😂 I don’t ever plan on going back though ever again !!! My Ga license was never affected.

Virginia native. I live about 30 minutes from hopewell. I’ve driven through the million dollar mile countless times. I’ve never gotten a ticket there but I do have a suspended license. I don’t drive because they will put you in jail for driving on suspended. I literally started renting the house next to my work so that I can walk to work. It sucks really bad.

Virginia: Our speeding laws are insane. Switzerland: Hold my beer

*Sees the title "This is the most unfair state for Car Owners."* Thinks: Huh. It's probably VA. *Watches 20 seconds.* Yup.

FYI: Arkansas: Arkansas has a law that if a municipality generates too much revenue from traffic enforcement, they are banned from enforcing traffic regulations for a period of time. At that point the county or the state takes over traffic enforcement....

I’ve gotten a reckless driving ticket in a speed trap like this, every time I’ve gotten a ticket I always go to court dressed very nicely and I write down every detail I can think of that happened, I listen to the excuses people make before I go up and speak to the judge to see how to best speak to the judge (some will ask why you didn’t have speed control on, some will ask why you weren’t paying attention, etc.) and once I even recalled an inaccuracy in a cops story. every time I have gotten the mileage over the speed limit reduced dramatically or I have gotten the speeding ticket removed and just had to pay court fees. I’m very lucky I have the time to do this, but if you can I’d definitely taking this route if you live in va.

Being from VA and living here all my life, I always thought that tons of speed traps were just normal. Just another reason to hate this state

Born, raised, and still currently living here😑 Best thing I can tell anybody is use the Waze app and keep your head on a swivel 👌🏽

One thing not mentioned is that here in Virginia, if you go over 80 MPH that is also reckless driving. There is a small segment of I-77 that passes through Virginia, and briefly combines with I-81, and this whole section is heavily policed. I used to work data entry for a legal firm a handful of years ago, and would go to various courthouses to access their computer systems and manually enter the data (they can only be accessed at the courthouse). I will just say the number of speeding tickets written for over 80 in this section is nuts. People from Canada, the midwest, the northeast...everyone headed south on the east coast and not using I-95 basically. I overheard numerous calls from the clerks where they were asked how much the ticket would be and the clerk would say "This isn't a ticket, it is reckless driving. You have to appear in court for this since it is a misdemeanor." I always cringed for the awkward situation those people had to have been finding themselves in.

Currently living in Virginia Beach. You are absolutely right. Another thing to add is when the big events happen here it’s funny how every mile or 2 VA state troopers have someone pulled over. I stay off the interstate when this happens.

Lol I’ve lived in VA my whole life and the things you said are 100% correct but for me, living in VA for as long as I remember, I thought these things are common everywhere else in the US and now I’m mad... like real mad....

“SPEED ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT”

In Delaware, the highest speed limit is 65 mph but that's only up north. For the majority of the state, the highest speed limit is 55 on highway and 50 on two-lane roads. I'm so jealous of the wid-west states

7:16 - Just go on I-75 (In Orlando Florida) during spring break (or another Friday) on a Friday around 11 pm and you can find a lot and I mean A LOT more tuned and modified cars on the road. Happened to see some pulled over by cops, which made me a little sad.

Everyday i find myself despising politicians more and more.

You forgot ONE thing! Virginia’s stupid radar detector law.

Another thing that many states have that is brutal on lower income drivers: the "points" system. It functions similar to the "3 strikes you're out" policing, because if you get a few speeding tickets in a row, the fines scale up massively. You can't pay the fine, you get your license suspended, you HAVE to drive, and there you go, a different system with the same result. Texas had it, but THANKFULLY repealed it a few years ago, exactly because of these unintended consequences.

Virginia person here. The 20 over reckless driving charge is often accompanied with at least one day in jail. Also, radar detectors are illegal, lane filtering for motorcycles is not allowed, and safety inspections must be done every year.

*Goes 10 miles over the speed limit* Virgina: AH6 Warthog headed to your location

Someone driving 0.00000001 MPH over the speed limit in Virginia: **exists** Cop: " You've vroomed your last vroom".

Live here in va. Got a ticket in nc for 81 in a 70. When it got reported to va it was still over 80 which went down as excessive speed on my license and included 6 points for fun, I guess. Took 6 years to get my points back. Definitely be careful here in the commonwealth!!!

1. Let’s not forget about the radar detector detectors. You can get pulled over and searched if an officer picks up a detector in use in your vehicle. You can even find yourself in trouble if one is found in your vehicle in use or not. Thank goodness for Waze. 2. I use to argue my point with officers. When I found myself more than once pointing out the vehicle heading over the horizon that had been speeding up behind me and passed by as the officer was prepping to turn around out of their hiding place I finally decided on a new approach. The points were adding up and insurance cost were skyrocketing. I finally decided to fight every single ticket I ever get no matter the state (as they now share information). I went from deep in the negative to positive 5 for many years now. Glad I’m in a position to be able to do that. That said I have learned over the years how to better read the mood of the officer. Keep it lighthearted, admit nothing in most cases, and if the officer is not going to be working with you in any way just plan to see them in court (assuming it ever gets that far). 3. I live in what is called NOVA (Northern VA). There are so many city, county, state, and federal ways to get yourself in trouble that you learn to keep your head on a swivel looking for marked and unmarked (please stop calling them undercover) patrol cars and trucks. 4. The only tickets I ever just pay are parking tickets if I think it is justified. Everything else goes to court even if I have to drive to a distant part of VA or another state.

Remember when your government was on your side? Yeah me neither.

So glad I live in Michigan, I was doing 67 in a 45 and the officer pulled me over and gave me a 1-5 over ticket and said “ I know you want to have fun but try be be safe”

One of my biggest issues in my home state in TN with policing for profit is certain precincts will search your car, and if you have lets say 2500 or more on you, its confiscated and nearly impossible to get back, at least as of a few years ago, I know there was some push to change that and not sure if it ever did or will. But its crazy.

Virginia: Re - introduces death sentence for 30 over speed limit

I love that someone is finally calling this out. I caught one of these "reckless driving" tickets and landed myself 4 days in jail for it, lost my license for 6 months, and had massive fines since that part of the highway was dedicated as a "highway safety corridor". Gotta love Virginia

Another fun fact - it is illegal to have a radar detector in the Sate of Virginia. If caught driving with one you could just end up in jail and car towed. Another fun fact on top of that - Their radar detectors are integrated with VG2 Sniffers and will make a different tone on radar to notify the car being detected has a detector on it. Consider this state "home for lovers" as in bending you over and "loving you" from the rear end.

I have lived in central Virginia for 4 years and never been pulled over. I drive the same road every day, and know where the police lurk. It's super shady, on my commute I see at least 1-2 cars pulled over for speeding.

And this is why I left Virginia...🥴

I went 4 miles over the speed limit near my house and I somehow got a reckless driving ticket for speeding. Luckily I got a lawyer

Hawaii's fastest speed limit is 60. I've gotten so many tickets going 65 though because most are 55 or 50 on highways

Montana does have speed limits, but they only began enforcing them in 1974 (then repealed and didn’t have them for a period between 1995-1999). Drunk driving is the biggest issue in the state, but poor infrastructure and crazy weather conditions are also an issue.

Reminds me of this one time i was passing through Virginia and before I saw the big "Welcome to X state" sign, I saw a great big green sign: "SPEED LIMIT ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT" Great first impressions

Like we say in Florida..."come on vacation, leave on probation."

You didn’t even mention that radar detectors are illegal in VA and that they have radar detector detectors. Also over 80mph is also reckless driving in VA as well and is a must appear in court and atleast $500 fine.

Virginia here and it definitely sucks in many ways than listed (driving). Side note, I got a suspended license for going 20 over and showed proof that I didnt. They also, ticketed me for dark tint and said my exhaust was too loud without using any metering systems. VA does suck.

America: “The Land of the Free” Virginia: hold my speeding tickets

Roads are poorly maintained even with all this “revenue”.

Driving through VA, I was pulled over going 75 in a 70. Officer told me speed limit was 65, came back with a ticket and told me I was right... speed limit was 70 but I was still speeding and wrote me a ticket for 5mph over the speed limit.... 🖕🏻VA

You guys haven’t seen anything yet. I’m Australia we have some of the most draconian speeding rules you can imagine. In one state, they book you for a little as 3km/h over any limit. That’s under 2mph. They will take your license for 6 months for exceeding the speed limits by 30km/h or approx 20mph. They will also deem it coming and confiscate your car for several days, at your expense of course. Burnout? Loss of licence and your car impounded. They even have the nerve to charge the driver a victim of crime penalty Levy. It send to be it is the driver who is the victim of highway robbery.

I live in Virginia and drive the “million dollar mile” every day and I at least see one car pulled over every time I go through there. Another thing they like to abuse is the move over law. They will sit around a corner with their lights on and wait for a car that can’t get over in time just to pull them over.