Va. Announces New Driving Laws

Associated Press
Published: June 28, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -

Most of the new laws that take effect
Tuesday will concern Virginia drivers.
Driver’s licenses issued after Tuesday will be valid for eight
years instead of five. The 4 dollar per year cost will remain the
same.
Those who fail a driver’s license test three times will have to
attend a training school before they can try again.
In an effort to decrease traffic at Department of Motor Vehicles
customer services centers, drivers who renew their vehicle
registration online will get a 1 dollar discount, while those who
visit a center will be charged 5 dollars extra.
Teens who drink and drive will face harsher penalties. Those
with a blood-alcohol concentration of .02 - much less than the .08
at which any driver is considered intoxicated - face up to a year
without a license and either a 500-dollar fine or 50 hours of
community service.
Also, any drivers that ignores a police officer’s order to pull
over and the officer is killed in an ensuing pursuit would face up
to 10 years in prison and a 100,000-dollar fine.
School bus drivers will be prohibited from using cell phones or
other wireless communication devices while driving. They still can
use two-way radios.