Aside from DUI and vehicular manslaughter, driving on a suspended license within the state of Virginia is one of the weightiest offenses one can commit. Among the rationales for an initial license suspension are DUI charges, reckless driving convictions, using falsified insurance paperwork, and more.

Anyone found by a police officer in the state of Virginia to be driving under a current license suspension will face the potential of 6 months imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. In addition, the driver will be subject to the identical period of license suspension under which they were sanctioned prior to the new offense. For instance, someone who was eight months into a one-year license suspension resulting from a first offense DUI in which they declined chemical testing would be subject to the one-year suspension clock starting all over again.

Just as in any other state, driving with a suspended license in Virginia is basically a roll of the dice, in terms of your chances of being stopped. It is also important to consider that anyone whose license has been suspended in Virginia no longer holds a valid car insurance policy. Your insurance carrier most likely canceled your car insurance policy at the time of your license suspension.

This can be extremely detrimental because if you drive without valid insurance and are involved in an accident, you will not only be subject to a new Virginia DMV fine of $550, but you will also be liable for paying the damages suffered by the other cars in the accident, the medical bills of those involved in the accident and the cost of any related property damage.

The possible ramifications of driving in Virginia without valid auto insurance far outweigh the perks of driving with a suspended license. The best option while under a license suspension is to seek a different mode of transport, whether public transportation such as buses or taxi cabs, or possibly just by seeking the assistance of friends or family for rides when needed. If you do not plan to travel a great distance, you might even think about walking or bicycling rather than take the chance of driving a car with a suspended Virginia license.