{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/46.2-816.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/46.2-816.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/46.2-816.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/46.2-816.html"}],"law_id":78973,"edition_id":1,"section_id":78973,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-816","catch_line":"Following too closely","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 46-229; 1958, c. 541, \u00a7 46.1-213; 1983, c. 248; 1989, c. 727; 2015, cc. 31, 188.","full_text":"The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of both vehicles and the traffic on, and conditions of, the highway at the time.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":282832,"text":"The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of both vehicles and the traffic on, and conditions of, the highway at the time.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":12919,"edition_id":1,"name":"General and Miscellaneous","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12875,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:01","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:01","permalink":{"id":230191,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12919,"identifier":"1","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1","url":"\/46.2\/III\/8\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12875,"edition_id":1,"name":"Regulation of Traffic","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12827,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:58","permalink":{"id":230189,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12875,"identifier":"8","token":"46.2\/III\/8","url":"\/46.2\/III\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12827,"edition_id":1,"name":"Operation","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12770,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","permalink":{"id":228597,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12827,"identifier":"III","token":"46.2\/III","url":"\/46.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12770,"edition_id":1,"name":"Motor Vehicles","identifier":"46.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":225289,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12770,"identifier":"46.2","token":"46.2","url":"\/46.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":54028,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-800","catch_line":"Riding bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric power-assisted bicycles, mopeds, or motorized skateboards or scooters; riding or driving animals","url":"\/46.2-800\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-800","metadata":false},{"id":77773,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-800.1","catch_line":"Riding animals on highways after sunset","url":"\/46.2-800.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-800.1","metadata":false},{"id":87490,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-800.2","catch_line":"Operation of off-road recreational vehicles in localities embraced by the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority","url":"\/46.2-800.2\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-800.2","metadata":false},{"id":76700,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-800.3","catch_line":"Driving in flooded areas prohibited","url":"\/46.2-800.3\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-800.3","metadata":false},{"id":68610,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-801","catch_line":"Chapter applicable to drivers of all vehicles regardless of ownership","url":"\/46.2-801\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-801","metadata":false},{"id":79548,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-802","catch_line":"Drive on right side of highways; 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penalty","url":"\/46.2-818.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-818.1","metadata":false},{"id":75401,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-818.2","catch_line":"Use of handheld personal communications devices in certain motor vehicles; exceptions; penalty","url":"\/46.2-818.2\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-818.2","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":83836,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-815","catch_line":"Hauling certain cargoes through tunnels in violation of posted signs; penalty","url":"\/46.2-815\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-815","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":81052,"structure_id":12919,"section_number":"46.2-816.1","catch_line":"Careless driving and infliction of injury or death on vulnerable road users; penalty","url":"\/46.2-816.1\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-816.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/46.2-816\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 4 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1958, chapter 541; in 1983, chapter 248; in 1989, chapter 727; in 2015, chapters <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?151+ful+CHAP0031\">31<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?151+ful+CHAP0188\">188<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":79059,"section_number":"46.2-397","catch_line":"Suspension of license for certain violations while transporting explosives, inflammable gas or liquid","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-397\/"},{"id":59312,"section_number":"46.2-492","catch_line":"Uniform Demerit Point System","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-492\/"},{"id":64733,"section_number":"46.2-868.1","catch_line":"Aggressive driving; penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-868.1\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":230293,"object_type":"law","relational_id":78973,"identifier":"46.2-816","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-816","url":"\/46.2-816\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/46.2-816\/","token":"46.2\/III\/8\/1\/46.2-816","dublin_core":{"Title":"Following too closely","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 46.2-816","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>The <span class=\"dictionary\">driver<\/span> of a <span class=\"dictionary\">motor vehicle<\/span> shall not follow another vehicle, <span class=\"dictionary\">trailer<\/span>, or <span class=\"dictionary\">semitrailer<\/span> more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of both <span class=\"dictionary\">vehicles<\/span> and the traffic on, and conditions of, the <span class=\"dictionary\">highway<\/span> at the time.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nFOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY (\u00a7 46.2-816)\n\nThe driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle, trailer, or\nsemitrailer more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to\nthe speed of both vehicles and the traffic on, and conditions of, the highway at\nthe time.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 46-229; 1958, c. 541, \u00a7 46.1-213; 1983, c. 248; 1989, c.\n727; 2015, cc. 31, 188.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}