Virginia Motor Vehicle Legal Definition

Virginia Code 46.2-100 provides definitions to be applied with respect to the motor vehicle laws. It defines "vehicle" as "every device in, on, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn on a highway, except devices moved by human power . . . ." "Motor vehicle" is defined as "every vehicle . . . which is self-propelled or designed for self-propulsion . . . ." Thus, Virginia, as does Maryland, considers the category of "motor vehicle" to be a subset of "vehicle," and this distinction has legal significance. See, e.g., Welborn v. Wyatt, 175 Va. 163, 168, 7 S.E.2d 99, 101 (1940); Code 46.2-341.4 (defining "commercial motor vehicle" as "every motor vehicle, vehicle, or combination of vehicles used to transport passengers or property . . . .").