VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 45.100
Reckless Driving
The defendant is charged with the crime of reckless driving. The Commonwealth must prove
beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of that crime:
(1) That the defendant was driving a vehicle on a highway; and
(2) That he [was driving in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb or property of any person; name
action prohibited by Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-853 to § 46.2-865].
If you find from the evidence that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt
each of the above elements of the crime as charged, then you shall find the defendant guilty of
reckless driving, [but you shall not fix the punishment until your verdict has been returned and
further evidence has been heard by you].
If you find from the evidence that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt
elements (1) and (2) of the crime charged but that the defendant’s culpability was slight, then you
may find the defendant guilty of improper driving.
If you find that the Commonwealth has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt either or
both of the elements of the crime, then you shall find the defendant not guilty.
History
Virginia Model Jury Instructions – Criminal, Release 26, October 2025. The unannotated set, posted by the Supreme Court of Virginia at vacourts.gov; the book states that it is made available with the permission of the publisher, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.
Provenance
- Source
- vacourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-11
- Edition
- crim-2025-10-01
- Content hash
1499e4c674a357a92284b16aa7a69855812edaaef07e483187745c2bc36f7222
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