Any reason why I shouldn't pull the trigger on this?

[mpg9999]

So, is it illegal to have one in your car? What if you do a lot of out of state driving? Seems like if the power was off when they got to your car, they have no case?

The entire law can be viewed here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-1079">http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504 ... +46.2-1079</a><!-- m -->

In particular, it says: "Except as provided in subsection B of this section, the presence of any such prohibited device or mechanism in or on a motor vehicle on the highways of the Commonwealth shall constitute prima facie evidence of the violation of this section. The Commonwealth need not prove that the device or mechanism in question was in an operative condition or being operated."

Its prima facie evidence. This means that the law assumes you were using it if you have it, whether or not you actually were. They don't have to prove you were using it. Pretty awesome, huh? The only thing that can save you is as it says, section B:

"A person shall not be guilty of a violation of this section when the device or mechanism in question, at the time of the alleged offense, had no power source and was not readily accessible for use by the driver or any passenger in the vehicle"

So if you have it in the trunk, you'll probably be ok. If its in the back seat with no passengers where you can't reach it, you might also be ok.