Chap. 431.—An ACT to amend and reenact Section 61, as amended, of the Motor
Vehicle Code of Virginia, relating to reckless driving and penalty frie

Approved April 1, 1948

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That section sixty-one, as amended, of the Motor Vehicle Code
of Virginia be amended and reenacted as follows:

Section 61. Reckless driving—(a) Irrespective of the maximum
speeds herein provided, any person who drives a vehicle upon a
highway recklessly, or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger
life, limb or property of any person shall be guilty of reckless driving ;
provided that the driving of a motor vehicle in violation of any speed
limit provision of section sixty-two of this act shall not of itself constitute
ground for prosecution for reckless driving under this section.

(b) Any person who shall

(1) Drive a vehicle when not under proper control, or with
inadequate or improperly adjusted brakes upon any highway of this
State, or

(2) While driving a vehicle, overtake and pass another vehicle pro-
- ceeding in the same direction, upon or approaching the crest of a grade
or upon or approaching a curve in the highway, where the driver’s view
along the highway is obstructed, or

(3) Pass or attempt to pass two other vehicles abreast, moving
in the same direction, or

(4) Overtake or pass any other vehicle proceeding in the same
direction at any steam or electric railway grade crossing, or at any
intersection of highways, or while pedestrians are passing or about to
pass in front of either of such vehicles, unless permitted so to do by a
traffic light or police officer, or

(5) Fail to stop at a school bus while taking on or discharging
school children, whether going in the same or the opposite direction and
to remain stopped until all school children are clear of the highway, or

(6) Fail to give adequate and timely signals of intention to tum,
partly turn, slow down, or stop, as required by section seventy-five of
this act, or

(7) Exceed a reasonable speed under the circumstances and
traffic conditions existing at the time, or

(8) Fail to bring his vehicle to a stop immediately before entering
a highway from a side road when there is traffic approaching upon such
highway within five hundred feet of such point of entrance, shall be
guilty of reckless driving.

(c) Every person convicted of reckless driving, under this section
shall, for either a first or second violation of this section, be guilty ofa
misdemeanor if he caused serious bodily injury to any other person asa
result of such reckless driving; every other person convicted of reckless
driving under this section, shall, for the first violation, be punished by
a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than one hundred dollars,
or by imprisonment in jail for not more than thirty days, or by both
such fine and imprisonment; for each second or subsequent conviction
for the offense of reckless driving, under this section, committed within
twelve months from the date of a prior conviction for reckless driving,
every such person shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars,
nor more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in jail for not
less than ten days nor more than six months, or by both such fine and
imprisonment.

In addition to the foregoing punishment, any justice or court may
suspend any license issued to such convicted person under an act of
the General Assembly, approved March twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred
thirty-two, and amendments thereof, known, designated and cited as
the Virginia Operators’ and Chauffeurs’ License Act, for a period of
not less than ten days nor more than six months, and such justice or
court shall require such convicted person to surrender his license so
suspended. If such person so convicted has not obtained the license
required by the said act such justice or court may direct in the judgment
of conviction that such person shall not, for such period of not less
than ten days nor more than six months as may be prescribed in the
said judgment, drive or operate any motor vehicle in this State.

It shall be the duty of such justice or court, or the clerk of such jus-
tice or court, to transmit such license to the Director of the Division of
Motor Vehicles, along with the report of such conviction required to
be sent to the divison.

If any person shall drive any vehicle upon any highway while his
license is so suspended, or while so forbidden to drive or operate a
motor vehicle in this State, he shall be punished by imprisonment in
jail for a period not less than two days nor more than six months,
and there may be imposed in addition thereto a fine of not more than
five hundred dollars.