46.2-505 - Court may direct defendant to attend driver improvement clinic. - Virginia Statutes

§ 46.2-505. Court may direct defendant to attend driver improvement clinic.

A. Any circuit or general district court or juvenile court of theCommonwealth, or any federal court, charged with the duty of hearing trafficcases for offenses committed in violation of any law of the Commonwealth, orany valid local ordinance, or any federal law regulating the movement oroperation of a motor vehicle, may require any person found guilty, or in thecase of a juvenile found not innocent, of a violation of any state law, localordinance, or federal law, to attend a driver improvement clinic. Theattendance requirement may be in lieu of or in addition to the penaltiesprescribed by § 46.2-113, the ordinance, or federal law. The court shalldetermine if a person is to receive safe driving points upon satisfactorycompletion of a driver improvement clinic conducted by the Department or byany business, organization, governmental entity or individual certified bythe Department to provide driver improvement clinic instruction. In theabsence of such notification, no safe driving points shall be awarded by theDepartment.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, no court shall, as aresult of a person's attendance at a driver improvement clinic, reduce,dismiss, or defer the conviction of a person charged with any offensecommitted while operating a commercial motor vehicle as defined in theVirginia Commercial Driver's License Act (§ 46.2-341.1 et seq.) or any holderof a commercial driver's license charged with any offense committed whileoperating a noncommercial motor vehicle.

C. Persons required by the court to attend a driver improvement clinic shallnotify the court if the driver improvement clinic has or has not beenattended and satisfactorily completed, in compliance with the court order.Failure of the person to attend and satisfactorily complete a driverimprovement clinic, in compliance with the court order, may be punished ascontempt of such court.

(1974, c. 453, § 46.1-514.18; 1989, c. 727; 1995, c. 672; 2002, c. 724; 2008,c. 190.)