Lanes, Passing & Following
Lane discipline, tailgating, overtaking and HOV lanes: what each section fines, and which ones write their own figure into the Code.
4 guides
These are the offenses an officer writes from behind you rather than from a corner: drifting out of a lane, sitting too close to the car in front, cutting back in too early after a pass, riding an HOV lane one passenger short. They have less in common legally than the ticket book suggests. Failure to maintain lane is one of the few sections in Title 46.2 that names its own fine — a flat $100 under § 46.2-804. Following too closely and improper passing name none, so the $250 ceiling in § 46.2-113 fills the gap. The HOV penalty in § 33.2-501 does something no other section here does and climbs with each repeat.
Each page below gives the section, the fine the section sets or the default that applies instead, the DMV demerit points where Virginia publishes them, and what the statute does not say — which on a following-too-closely charge turns out to be a great deal more than drivers expect.
All guides
- Failure to Maintain Lane in Virginia: What It Means
Failure to maintain lane in VA is Va. Code § 46.2-804, a traffic infraction with a fine of $100 written into the section itself — not a misdemeanor.
- Following Too Closely in Virginia: The Fine and the Points
The following too closely Virginia fine is up to $250 under § 46.2-113, because § 46.2-816 sets no figure of its own — plus costs and 4 demerit points.
- HOV Violation in VA: The Fine Climbs With Every Repeat
An HOV violation in VA is a $100 fine under § 33.2-501, rising to $125, $250, $500 and $1,000 in Planning District 8 — and it is not a moving violation.
- Improper Passing and the VA Code: § 46.2-838 Explained
Improper passing is charged under VA code § 46.2-838, which requires two feet of clearance and sets no fine — so § 46.2-113 caps the ticket at $250.