Why It Is Illegal to Use a Radar Detector in Virginia

Yes. Virginia Code § 46.2-1079 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle on Virginia highways when it is equipped with a device to detect or interfere with law-enforcement speed-measuring equipment. The statute also prohibits using such a device on a vehicle on those highways.

The statute says the vehicle’s equipment with a covered device is unlawful and says the device need not be operative. It describes a narrow exception when the device has no power source and is not readily accessible to the driver or a passenger; consult the current statute for its exact terms.

The Virginia statute covers devices intended to detect or purposefully interfere with or diminish police speed-measuring equipment. Its wording therefore reaches beyond ordinary passive alerts; check the statutory language for the specific device.

The law addresses a motor vehicle equipped with a covered device on Virginia highways, not only active use. It includes a limited no-power and not-readily-accessible exception, so do not assume an unused, installed detector is allowed.