Tips and advice about VA cops and troopers..
 

Im in Rhode Island right now and getting ready to be stationed in Norfolk, VA in about a month or two with the military. The cops up here are somewhat strict about tint and modifications and all that. I get crap for my headlights and tail lights being blacked out all the time by base police and cops stare at me but never pull me over (knock on wood). I was planning on going with 5% tint before I left here and went to VA but Im a little nervous on weather or not the cops are going to be on me for it the second I cross the state line. Ive only been pulled over once up here for my tint and the cop saw my base decals and my I.D card and told me that tint wasnt allowed up here and let me go instead of writing me a ticket. I was also going to finally drop the car too, but wanted to know how the roads were down there. So anyone who knows about anything in VA Id be glad to hear it, thanks alot.

Not sure about mods and stuff, but definitely don't get caught speeding. My friend who was stationed there got raped for speeding.

Yeah I usually try not to speed since the roads up here are naaaaaaaaaaaasty..pot holes everywhere so it makes no sense to speed haha..thanks for the tip though

I have heard VA state trooper are some of the most strict in the country and I have heard that from several people that either live there now or have lived there in the past. Good luck

Yeah thats what everyone up here at work is tellin me..Damn the troopers!!!!lol

I wouldnt put anything past em! Its all about if the cop is havin a bad day or not is really all it boils down to. I just recently got a tint ticket here in NC, and I couldnt believe it. What happened though is I hit a road block for DUI, and they couldnt get me on a DUI so he hit me with the tint citation :whyme: I have had my tint on ever since I had the car, and it was just bad luck really. All I can say is know the laws in VA and I know for sure they are very strict on speeders.

all i can do is say when you go to va beach be very very careful. those cops out the beach are on a mission to pull any and everybody over thats got some what dark tint, and the funny part about it some of the cop cars be having 5% tint and they wanna pull us over thats some bull s*@*

You WILL get f*cked with. I went to school in Hampton, VA and the cops don't play down there. They're hella strict about the tint too.

Hopefully they'll be lenient since you're in the military, but they do ticket for tint.

I almost went to JAIL for getting caught going 90 in VA. And we all know 90 ain't shit (relatively speaking)! :)

Well I am from Michigan and just got tint done on my car. 35% on sides and 5% on the back but here for the front we are only suppose to have tint 4inchs from the top. So I am hoping I don't get in trouble for it. Although I see people with it all the time.

Virgina from what I know is pretty strict. No radar detectors and even worse nothing mounted on the windshield (example gps). As far as tint goes you are allowed 35% all around.

Also Rhode Island for tint is only 70%.

I go to Norfolk State. The cops arent too terrible, just dont speed !!! On the tint and other modifications its just a luck of the draw !!!

I heard they will make you smash your radar detector if you get pulled over.

The laws up here for tint from what I understand are your can have 35% tint but only on your back seat windows and back..Nothing is allowed on the windshield or the driver and passenger windows. I have 35% all around on mine and like I said only got messed with once by a cop. I really wanna go 5% though..Im kinda tempted to just say eff it..

5% is retarded. Why not just spray paint your windows black? With 5%, if you ever get into an accident it's going to be real easy for the other party to say it's your fault because you couldn't see the other car and it's very likely the cops/courts would go for it.

How the hell could you even drive at night like that? Stupid.

well im in the military too and im from Va but not there now and i got 5% on my car when i got back to va to visit my family a trooper pulled me over but after talkin to me and when he found out that i am not a VA resident anymore and have fl tags he just let me go. are u planning to change ur tags to VA ones? since ur in the military u can keep ur rhode island ones.

You car will be a ticket magnet. I suggest 30% tint & take all the tint off your lights. VA cops & Troopers are real hard asses.
:2cents:

VA troopers suck ass! the roads are fine but i would try and stay away from them.

Here is a link for everyone on the tint laws.

http://www.ziebart.com/pdfs/State_Tinting_Laws.pdf

>>>tough, i remember going to visit my brother at NAS Oceana, and the cops on base will get you for anything (i.e... no exaggeration 2 miles over the speed limit) When we would go on base hed tell me to set the cruise just to be safe.

He also had to install a kill switch for his AHL/DRL, because he had no way of turning them off when he pulled up to the security checkpoint and they always gave him shit for it.

The cops around VA Beach are also pretty strict, however i dont blame them all too much, theres a lot of trash down there that they hae to put up with.

It sucks to hear but the best thing might be to make your car comply with the laws...

VA cops SUCKKKK, esp fairfax cops ... they pull you over just because they have nothing else to do and try to give you some BS ticket ... i would say try to stay legal with everything ... tint maybe a little below legal, but not too much

VA cops are definitely the worst i have seen. I regularly drive all up and down the east coast and they are always the most active on I-95. Stay alert, don't pass the flow of traffic, and if you have a radar detector, keep it out of sight.

Umm...yeah..ok..

Why would I not be able to see the other car? Tint doesnt make everything not visable..They cant see in, but I can see them. I believe thats what tint was kinda made for..no?

Yeah Im gonna end up keeping them. We have a lot of people up here on the base with Florida, Texas and Virginia tags with 5% tint and from what they tell me, they get away with it since they have out of state tags..

Yeah I plan on it, just ordered new headlights and tail lights with 10000k bulbs..Hoping to go for a differant look when I leave here..The blacked out look was only cool until the cops kept naggin me.

And to add to it, my girlfriend has 5% on her bagged Tahoe and when I drive it at night I can see everything just fine.

yup gotta luv the outta state tags just say sorry u can do it in rhode island where my car is registered :thumbsup:

Do you have street lights? Cause in FL we don't have many. I have trouble with 15%. I can't imagine trying to see out of 5% when parking or backing up.

haha I plan on it

Yeah we do here and there. Depending on where you go.The big city yeah, but not really in the smaller ones..Its not as bad seeing out of 5%, I mean granted its going to be darker, but you kinda get used to it after a while..

But like I said before Rhode Island is ONLY 70%

You're only allowing 5% of the available visible light to pass through the window. You might get used to seeing less but it doesn't change the fact that you're seeing less. Almost nothing as a mater of fact. It's a stupid childish unsafe decision to reduce your visibility by a factor of 20 just so you look cool.

The cops will hassle shit out of you, possibly going so far as approaching your vehicle guns drawn simply because they have no idea what they're walking into. Your car definitely looks like the kind of car they'd approach wearily too.


Side note about VA: I hate how they put all those random reflectors at all the highway turn arounds for the cops to hide amongst.

I dont do anything to get pulled over except maybe speeding every once and a blue moon. I used to be a cop in the military for a few years before i switched over to getting Chef certified and I know what makes cops feel a little more comfortable about pulling someone over. I always roll down all my windows and turn my dome light on and keep my hands on the wheel.

Im not trying to turn this thread into an arguement session LukeaTron, it was a simple question that I seeked advice on.

Im not trying to turn this thread into an arguement session LukeaTron, it was a simple question that I seeked advice on.[/QUOTE]

X2 :thumbsup:

I had my old TL done in 5% all around except for the windshield... It's a bit hard to see at night, and I tore them off after getting 2 tickets in 2 weekends... Sucks that it was about 200 bucks down the drain. I have 20% on my CL and in GA the rules are 35%... So many ppl violate it around here I don't even think cops think to look for dark tints anymore. Oh well, hope it works out for ya, that sucks that the cops have to be such PIGS!

Haha yeah I hear ya.

exactly so u know to roll ur windows down. i got pulled over in fl and i rolled them down and he didnt even care about my tint. i talked to my friend about the whole situation and he said the only reason they care is because at 5% they cant see in and someonne can grab a weapon and roll the window down and ur screwed. evertime i see a cop commin next to me i roll them down and never have a problem. also when i went to va i had a cop stop me and was like ur tint illegal and i told him im from florida im ok and he doesnt know the laws from there so he said ok but said i should change them to 35% (i think thats the regs for the front window) i told him no and he couldnt reallly say anything but he was cool so he was ok about it. u should be good sounds like u know the tricks to get around most of it

Yeah I do too. When my girlfriend is in the car with me and she sees cops she points out the cop and rolls down her window and I do too. I think I might just go ahead and go with like 20% or somethin...Just to be on the safe side. And your right, alot of the cops dont know the laws and regulations in any state but there own so I plan on keeping my Rhode Island tags. Thanks for the info though too bro

Rolling tinted windows down if your next to a cop? That's extreme. If they are going to mess with you they are going to mess with you. No way I would be that afraid. Hell most cop cars here have 5% themselves.

just wanted to share this article..hope this help to everyone in VA...


By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY

Virginia is for lovers, or so the state slogan has declared since 1969. Starting Sunday, Virginia also will be the home of the $3,000 traffic ticket.
In an effort to raise money for road projects, the state will start hitting residents who commit serious traffic offenses with huge civil penalties.

The new civil charges will range from $750 to $3,000 and be added to existing fines and court costs. The civil penalty for going 20 mph over the speed limit will be $1,050, plus $61 in court costs and a fine that is typically about $200.

Virginia's traffic law is one of several thousand new state laws that take effect Sunday. Jan. 1 and July 1 are the most popular dates for state laws to become official.

Virginia's new traffic penalties are expected to raise $65 million a year and are part of an effort to improve the state's roads without raising taxes.

A first-time drunken driver will face a $2,250 civil penalty, plus fines and court costs that typically run about $500 or more. Driving without a license? That's a mandatory $900 civil penalty, in addition to the ordinary $100 for a fine and court costs.

"It's outrageous," says traffic court attorney Thaddeus Furlong of Springfield, Va. "When Mr. and Mrs. Middle Class find out what they have to pay, there's going to be a backlash like you've never seen."

Some other states impose extra civil penalties for traffic offenses, but the cost is usually $100 or $200, Furlong says. "What sets this apart is the Draconian size of the civil penalties," he says.

Another difference: The civil penalties apply only to Virginia residents, not out-of-state drivers. Virginians must pay in three installments over 26 months or lose their licenses. The state Legislature didn't think it could enforce the extra penalties in other states.

Motorist club AAA Mid-Atlantic supports the new penalties.

"These penalties are harsh, but normal fines haven't gotten people to drive sanely. Maybe this will," says Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

He says the new law will help reduce the nearly 1,000 traffic deaths the state records annually.

"We wish motorists didn't have to pay more, but the fact is Virginia's transportation trust fund is broke," Anderson says.

Hey man, better safe then sorry you know? But yeah we have a bunch of cops up here with 5% tint. Why can they have it an we cant lol

Thats crazy..I would hate to be a Virginian..Good thing Im keeping my out of state tags then huh haha