§ 46.2-505 Court may direct defendant to attend driver improvement clinic
A. Any circuit or general district court or juvenile court of the Commonwealth, or any federal court, charged with the duty of hearing traffic cases for offenses committed in violation of any law of the Commonwealth, or any valid local ordinance, or any federal law regulating the movement or operation of a motor vehicle, may require any person found guilty, or in the case of a juvenile found not innocent, of a violation of any state law, local ordinance, or federal law, to attend a driver improvement clinic or a mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention course as provided for in § 38.2-2217. The attendance requirement may be in lieu of or in addition to the penalties prescribed by § 46.2-113, the ordinance, or federal law. The court shall determine if a person is to receive safe driving points upon satisfactory completion of a driver improvement clinic conducted by the Department or by any business, organization, governmental entity or individual certified by the Department to provide driver improvement clinic instruction. In the absence of such notification, no safe driving points shall be awarded by the Department.
B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, no court shall, as a result of a person’s attendance at a driver improvement clinic or a mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention course, reduce, dismiss, or defer the conviction of a person charged with any offense committed while operating a commercial motor vehicle as defined in the Virginia Commercial Driver’s License Act (§ 46.2-341.1 et seq.) or any holder of a commercial driver’s license charged with any offense committed while operating a noncommercial motor vehicle.
C. Persons required by the court to attend a driver improvement clinic or a mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention course shall notify the court if the driver improvement clinic or mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention course has or has not been attended and satisfactorily completed, in compliance with the court order. Failure of the person to attend and satisfactorily complete a driver improvement clinic or mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention course, in compliance with the court order, may be punished as contempt of such court.
History
This law was first created in 1974. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 453 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1974 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 5 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1989, chapter 727; in 1995, chapter 672; in 2002, chapter 724; in 2008, chapter 190; in 2014, chapter 282.
1974, c. 453, § 46.1-514.18; 1989, c. 727; 1995, c. 672; 2002, c. 724; 2008, c. 190; 2014, c. 282.