Reckless Driving in Virginia: Penalties, Points and Insurance

Virginia treats reckless driving as a crime, not a ticket, and it doesn't take much: 20 mph over the limit, or anything over 85 mph, is enough.

What counts as reckless driving

Virginia's general rule (Va. Code § 46.2-852) covers driving "recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person." Speed alone is enough under § 46.2-862: you're guilty of reckless driving if you drive

• 20 mph or more over the posted speed limit, or
• faster than 85 mph, whatever the limit.

So 86 mph in a 70 zone is reckless driving in Virginia, even though it's only 16 over.

Criminal penalties

Reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor (§ 46.2-868): up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, or both (§ 18.2-11). It becomes a Class 6 felony if you were driving on a license suspended or revoked for a moving violation and your reckless driving caused someone's death. On top of that, the court may suspend your license for 10 days to 6 months (§ 46.2-392).

Points and your driving record

The Virginia DMV assigns 6 demerit points for reckless driving convictions, including speeding over 85 mph, 20+ over the limit, racing, passing a school bus and driving too fast for conditions. The points count for two years from the offense, but the conviction stays on your DMV record for 11 years. You can offset points with safe driving points: one for each clean year, up to five, or five at once by completing a driver improvement clinic (unless a court ordered the clinic).

What it does to your insurance rates

Average annual full-coverage premiums (100/300/100 liability, $500 deductibles) from Insurance.com's Virginia high-risk analysis, updated August 2026. Percentages are our calculation from those figures; the median increase across these insurers is 52%. *USAA is only available to military members, veterans and their families.

The spread is the story: the increase ranges from +8% (State Farm) to +117% (GEICO) for the same driver. After a reckless driving conviction, comparing quotes is worth more than almost anything else you can do.

In Insurance.com's Virginia data, 6 of the 8 insurers above charge exactly the same premium after reckless driving as after a DUI, which suggests they treat both as the same class of major violation. See what a DUI costs, compared across publishers.

Related: FR-44 and SR-22 in Virginia · Car insurance after a DUI in Virginia