                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COURT MAY DIRECT DEFENDANT TO ATTEND DRIVER IMPROVEMENT CLINIC (§ 46.2-505)

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 &#xA7; 38.2-2217. The attendance
requirement may be in lieu of or in addition to the penalties prescribed by
&#xA7; 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&#8217;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&#8217;s License Act
(&#xA7; 46.2-341.1 et seq.) or any holder of a commercial driver&#8217;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: 1974, c. 453, § 46.1-514.18; 1989, c. 727; 1995, c. 672; 2002, c. 724;
2008, c. 190; 2014, c. 282.