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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>65847</law_id><section_number>46.2-384</section_number><catch_line>Law-enforcement officers arresting drivers for certain offenses to request abstracts or transcripts of drivers&amp;#8217; conviction records</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="46.2">Motor Vehicles</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Titling, Registration and Licensure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Licensure of Drivers</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="11">Accident Reports</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Every <span class="dictionary"><span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer</span> who has arrested any person for (i) driving while under the influence of intoxicants or drugs in violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Maiming, etc., of another resulting from driving while intoxicated" href="/18.2-51.4/">18.2-51.4</a> or &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Driving motor vehicle, engine, etc., while intoxicated, etc" href="/18.2-266/">18.2-266</a> or a parallel local <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, or &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Driving a commercial motor vehicle while intoxicated, etc" href="/46.2-341.24/">46.2-341.24</a>, (ii) <span class="dictionary">reckless driving</span> in violation of &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Reckless driving; general rule" href="/46.2-852/">46.2-852</a> through <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Racing or exhibition driving; definitions; penalties" href="/46.2-865/">46.2-865</a> or a parallel local <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, (iii) failure to stop at the scene of an accident in violation of &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Duty of driver to stop, etc., in event of accident involving injury or death or damage to attended property; penalty" href="/46.2-894/">46.2-894</a> through <a class="law" title="Article applies to accidents on private or public property" href="/46.2-899/">46.2-899</a> or a parallel local <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> or (iv) driving without a license or while his license has been suspended or revoked in violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Maiming, etc., of another resulting from driving while intoxicated" href="/18.2-51.4/">18.2-51.4</a> or &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Driving after forfeiture of license" href="/18.2-272/">18.2-272</a>, or &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Driving without license prohibited; penalties" href="/46.2-300/">46.2-300</a> through <a class="law" title="Driving while restoration of license is contingent on furnishing proof of financial responsibility" href="/46.2-302/">46.2-302</a> or a parallel local <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> or while he is disqualified in violation of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Driving while disqualified; penalties" href="/46.2-341.21/">46.2-341.21</a> of the Commercial <span class="dictionary">Vehicle</span> <span class="dictionary">Driver</span>&#x2019;s License Act (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Title" href="/46.2-341.1/">46.2-341.1</a> et seq.), shall request from the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> an abstract or <span class="dictionary">transcript</span> of the person&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">driver</span>&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> record on file at the <span class="dictionary">Department</span>. The <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall furnish the abstract or <span class="dictionary">transcript</span> to the attorney for the Commonwealth of the <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> in which the case will be heard, to be held available for the <span class="dictionary">court</span> in which the person is to be tried for the violation or charge. However, the failure of the attorney for the Commonwealth to receive the abstract or <span class="dictionary">transcript</span> in any case shall not constitute grounds for the granting of a <span class="dictionary">continuance</span> of such case. In any such <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> wherein a necessary element of the <span class="dictionary">offense</span> charged is that the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> was previously convicted of the same or similar <span class="dictionary">offense</span>, a copy, certified as provided in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certification of certain records and admissibility in evidence" href="/46.2-215/">46.2-215</a>, of (1) the abstract of the relevant prior <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>, certified as provided in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Forms for and information to be contained in abstracts; certification" href="/46.2-386/">46.2-386</a>, or (2) that portion of the <span class="dictionary">transcript</span> relating to the relevant prior <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>, shall be prima facie <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> of the <span class="dictionary">facts</span> stated therein with respect to the prior <span class="dictionary">offense</span>.</p></section></text><history>1968, c. 335, &#xA7; 46.1-413.1; 1976, c. 148; 1984, c. 780; 1988, c. 413; 1989, cc. 705, 727; 1992, c. 838; 1997, c. 691.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
