Hit and Run
Three guides to what Virginia requires of a driver after a collision: the charge itself, the separate rule for a parked car, and leaving the scene.
3 guides
Virginia has no offense called "hit and run". The charge is a failure to do what Va. Code §§ 46.2-894 and 46.2-896 require after a collision: stop, give your name, address, driver's license number and registration number to the people entitled to them, help anyone who is hurt, and report the accident. Which of the two sections applies turns on one question — was the vehicle or property you struck attended, or unattended?
These pages answer the question in the reader's own words. What the offense is and what follows a charge; what "leaving the scene of an accident" means on a Virginia summons; and what the Code requires of a driver who hits a parked car and cannot find its owner, where leaving a note is only half of the duty. Every statement below is quoted from the current text on Virginia's Legislative Information System, which is the version to check before relying on anything here.
All guides
- Hit and Run in Virginia: What the Code Requires and What It Costs
What counts as a hit and run in Virginia, the attended and unattended split in Va. Code §§ 46.2-894 and 46.2-896, and the penalty for each.
- Hitting a Parked Car in Virginia: The Hit and Run Rules
Hit and run in Virginia involving a parked car: Va. Code § 46.2-896 requires finding the owner, a note with contact details and a written report in 24 hours.
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident in Virginia
Leaving the scene of an accident in Virginia: the duties in Va. Code §§ 46.2-894 and 46.2-896, who else can be charged, and which court hears the case.