9 Virginia Traffic Convictions That Add More Demerit Points Than Drivers Expect

Two ordinary four-point convictions in the same year are all it takes for the Virginia DMV to mail a driver a warning letter.

These are the Virginia traffic convictions that add more demerit points than drivers expect.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Point values, retention periods and clinic requirements are subject to change, so confirm the current rules with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

1. Following Too Closely

Virginia’s demerit-point system treats tailgating the same way it treats some dangerous moves behind the wheel.

A conviction for following too closely costs a driver 4 points on the Virginia DMV’s own chart.

That’s the same point value as aggressive driving.

It isn’t a warning tier.

A few car lengths too close is where the surprise starts.

2. Failing to Signal

Virginia treats a missed turn signal as more than a technicality.

An improper turn by itself costs 3 points on the state’s chart.

Failing to signal is its own separate violation worth 4 points.

It isn’t the same charge.

That’s one extra point for forgetting the blinker.

The state assigns the same 4 points whether it’s a curb pull-out or any other improper signal.

3. Ordinary Speeding

Virginia keeps a lighter tier for the slowest speeders.

Going 1 to 9 miles per hour over the posted limit costs 3 points on the state’s chart.

That cushion is thin.

Ten miles per hour over the limit changes everything.

Virginia scores it as a 4-point conviction, the same weight as tailgating and failing to yield.

The conviction stays on a driving record for five years.

4. Improper Backing or Turning

Virginia scores some ordinary parking-lot mistakes the same as far riskier driving.

Improper backing, stopping or turning is its own violation worth 4 points, a full point above the general 3-point charge for an improper turn.

Misjudge a reverse out of a parking space.

The state treats it as more than a small fender-bender waiting to happen.

One point heavier than expected.

That single point can be the difference between a clean year and a letter from the DMV.

5. Failing to Yield

The Virginia DMV counts a yield mistake as a conviction, not just bad luck at an intersection.

Failure to yield right-of-way carries 4 points, the same weight the state assigns to speeding and to tailgating.

Many drivers picture yield mistakes as accidents, not point-bearing convictions.

The DMV disagrees.

A single bad read on who has the right-of-way lands in the same point bracket as some of the more obviously reckless habits on this list.

6. Ignoring a Funeral Procession

Virginia still enforces a rule many drivers have never heard of: Yielding to a funeral procession.

Failing to yield to a funeral procession, or breaking into one, carries 4 points, the same value as speeding.

Few drivers ever get pulled over for it.

The point value doesn’t shrink just because the stop is rare.

It’s still 4 points.

Cut across a procession on a two-lane Virginia road.

The ticket costs exactly what a speeding ticket does.

7. Not Reporting a Minor Crash

Virginia treats a fender-bender you drive away from as a serious mark, not a shrug.

Fail to stop at the scene of a crash involving unattended property damage over $500, and the conviction carries 4 points.

That’s the same point value as speeding.

Then it lingers.

The record sticks around for 11 years.

A dented mailbox and a decision to just drive off can outlast a decade of otherwise clean driving.

8. Failing to Stop for a Pedestrian

Virginia doesn’t reserve serious point totals only for the worst driving.

Failure to stop for a pedestrian is its own 4-point conviction, the same tier as following too closely and speeding.

A driver rolling through a crosswalk while someone is still stepping off the curb often assumes it’s a minor lapse.

Virginia scores it as more than that.

Full points, no exceptions.

That one moment of inattention costs exactly as much as an aggressive move on the highway.

9. Passing When Unsafe

Virginia separates careless passing from the general 3-point charge for improper passing.

Passing when unsafe, or passing to the left of an oncoming vehicle, is its own 4-point conviction.

The gap between 3 points and 4 points comes down to one bad read on oncoming traffic.

Rural two-lane roads across Virginia, from Route 29 to the back roads outside Staunton, are exactly where that judgment call gets made.

The point stands regardless.

The Virginia DMV doesn’t score it on how close the call felt from the driver’s seat.

How Points Turn Into a Suspension

Virginia doesn’t wait for a dramatic case to step in.

Reach 8 demerit points in 12 months, and the Virginia DMV mails an advisory letter.

Two ordinary 4-point convictions in a single year already cross that line.

Climb to 12 points in 12 months, or 18 in 24. A driver improvement clinic becomes mandatory at that point, not optional.

Reach 18 points in 12 months, or 24 in 24, and Virginia suspends the license for 90 days outright.

No crash required.

None of that requires a crash.

Earning Points Back

Virginia also runs the chart in reverse.

A full calendar year with a valid license and no violations earns a driver one safe point.

A driver can bank up to five of them, enough to offset more than one conviction on this list.

There’s a faster route, too.