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Another Maryland driver who shouldn't have been speeding that got ticketed for a Reckless driving charge. I got an 85/70 in Marion, VA this weekend.
Do people just completely ignore the NORTHERN Virginia part of this forum when googling reckless driving and registering to post the same story?
No you don't need a lawyer, but if one can go to court for you it saves you the trip back. Up to you if it's worth the money. No one cares about the driver safety course because it's a joke.
Another Maryland driver who shouldn't have been speeding that got ticketed for a Reckless driving charge.
I got an 85/70 in Marion, VA this weekend. The officer was very polite and upfront with me. We had a good exchange and I understood the charges. Speed trap. He told me he was going to give me a speeding ticket if I was around 80-81mph but 85 was too high to cut a break. Understandable but worth noting that he was nice a cordial. I had 4 passengers in the car (traveling with friends). The court case is taking place in General District Court (Traffic). The court date given to me is 2 days after I come back home from traveling outside of the country. I can attend if necessary but if postponing the date is possible then obviously that would work best since Marion, VA is a bit of a hike.
I have 0 points on my record but a conviction for Exceeding Maximum speed by 10 mph in Maryland from 5 years ago. I was convicted in court and paid the fine but received no points. This is on my driving record.
Is a lawyer necessary in this case? Right now I am planning on attending alone. I might take a driver safety course beforehand but I'm not sure if this is necessary.
First off Boyd is correct. This is for Northern VA. But, you'll be risking a RD conviction if you go back to Marion by yourself. You may be able to talk the officer into assisting you in obtaining a reduction to speeding 79/70 but that's risky. If it were me I'd call some local lawyers, you'll be getting letters soon from them, and see what the courts policy is with them representing you without you being there. I've never been to that court system but I seriously doubt they will be seeking any jail time for this. If the lawyer cannot say whether they can do this without you being there then I'd go, with a lawyer. Unless you can afford the hit on insurance for the RD that is.
As far as the driver improvement course some judges won't accept them in some courts if they don't approve it ahead of time. Unsure about this court though.
No kidding. I hate traveling in the east. Even on rural interstates the speed limits are stupidly low. All part of the use of LE for revenue generation, rather than stopping things like burglary, robbery, assault, rape, etc. No money in that. In Idaho and MT 2 lane rural highways typically have speed limits of 65-70mph, with fairly "modest" enforcement.
I love listening to clods like this coming on this board and bitching when they are truly clueless. Hey Toyman. Do you really have any clue how FEW officers are truly out here writing these big bad reckless driving or speeding tickets. In reality the percentage of drivers getting tickets is so damn small that it's truly laughable.
As far as officers being out there stopping burglary, robbery and such are you really this dense? Officers deal with this crap everyday of their career and too many lose their life over this. My former agency just lost a female officer on her FIRST day on the fuggin job and 2 others were shot and seriously injured by a freakin thug.
Traffic enforcement is a secondary responsibility to most officers on the street as they have responsibilities handling anything from traffic crashes, domestics, burglaries, runaways and everything in between. You'd be surprised how many pansy a** parents call 911 because they can't get little Johnny/Mary to do their homework or come home on time by curfew. And yes, these calls have to be handled by officers. In many agencies only a small number of officers are assigned to traffic duties to perform tasks such as radar.
So get off your high horse and stay in your perfect little state if you're afraid of the east.
General what-to-expect for those who are panicking
Hi.
A number of valuable contributors to this thread have been worn out with having to answer the same question over and over again because people want assurance that their specific situation is not a dire one. I am going to attempt to umbrella the aforementioned contributors' advice into broad generalisations for those who are in too much of a fuss to read through the forum. Granted, at this point, its quite congested. The asterisk that accompanies this post is that you never know what type of arresting officer you will get at the time of the offense, nor can you know what your judge might rule in your specific case.
With all this being said, here is what you can reasonably expect:
A. If you are charged with Reckless Driving (RD) with a generally clean record, and were going less than 90mph and less than 30mph in excess of the posted speed limit
You are virtually guaranteed no jail time. There is not a conceivable situation that a judge would put you in jail for 84/65 or 81/55 Reckless. This may be less certain in lower-limit areas, like perhaps school zones, but even then you likely have nothing to worry about as far as jail time is concerned.
There is a marginally better chance that the judge suspends your license, but this is also fairly unlikely unless you're pushing the boundaries of this section (89/60 is close to the listed parameters, and might get you a suspended license, but you would probably have to really **** off your judge on your court date). For the most part, suspended license is not a concern for the less-egregious Reckless charges.
the consensus advice: you can probably get your charge reduced to something like Improper Driving without hiring an attorney. Speak to your arresting officer or the prosecuting attorney at the court before you appear before the judge. They have no interest in ruining your life and are very likely to offer you some sort of plea agreement (which could be accompanied by a driving class, a probationary period, etc.) Dress nicely, be polite, and you will likely find yourself without that daunting class 1 misdemeanor.
PS, taking a safe driving course through the DMV is highly unlikely to improve your chances at a charge reduction. It doesn't hurt but don't expect it to help until the court approves it.
BIf you are charged with RD with a particularly bad record, less than 90mph, less than 30mph over the limit.
Hiring an attorney may be advisable. License suspension becomes a decent possibility, but jail time remains unlikely unless you have DUI/DWI history. If that is the case, an attorney is more or less a necessity.
C If you are charged with RD with a generally clean record, over 90mph or 30+mph in excess of the posted limit.
90mph seems to be a rough threshold for increased penalties. You won't go to jail for 91/70, and for first-time offenders your license is probably safe as well. However, 90+ in a 65 or, so help me God, a 55 zone can definitely get you in some trouble. Don't fight these alone. Hire an attorney, and while you're at it, read this. 90 MPH is too fast for VA highways. This is a highly congested area of the country. Slow down. Buy track time if you must scratch the itch. But stop going 90+ on VA roads. Just stop
DIf you are charged with RD, with a bad driving record, at 90mph+ AND 30mph+ over the limit. (95 in a 65, 90 in a 55, etc)
Hire an attorney. Do not be surprised if your license is suspended. Depending on how bad your record is, you may be looking at a night or two in jail. Again, the criminal justice system is not designed to ruin lives, but repeat offenders should consider alerting their families and employers that they may be locked up for a short time. Slow down. VA highways are used by millions of people every day, and you are being inconceivably selfish by putting those lives at risk when you're behind the wheel.
EIf you are charged with RD with any kind of record, at 100+mph
Jail time is more than a possibility. The max speed limit in the state of VA as of this post is 70mph. Even at that limit, 100mph is enough to get even clean drivers a night in jail. Repeat offenders are looking at significantly more. Hire an attorney as soon as you have access to a phone.
ABSTRACT
As long as your speed was not egregious, you should take a deep breath and relax. Show up to court, dress nicely, be respectful, and ask for help. If that is too much to put on your plate, hire an attorney. If you are ever unsure about something regarding your charge, consult an attorney. Use this forum as a guide only. And if your speed WAS egregious, please grow up. Spirited driving has a time and a place. Don't endanger others with your lack of maturity.
Last edited by oogly boogly; 03-21-2016 at 10:42 AM..
I love listening to clods like this coming on this board and bitching when they are truly clueless. Hey Toyman. Do you really have any clue how FEW officers are truly out here writing these big bad reckless driving or speeding tickets. In reality the percentage of drivers getting tickets is so damn small that it's truly laughable.
As far as officers being out there stopping burglary, robbery and such are you really this dense? Officers deal with this crap everyday of their career and too many lose their life over this. My former agency just lost a female officer on her FIRST day on the fuggin job and 2 others were shot and seriously injured by a freakin thug.
Traffic enforcement is a secondary responsibility to most officers on the street as they have responsibilities handling anything from traffic crashes, domestics, burglaries, runaways and everything in between. You'd be surprised how many pansy a** parents call 911 because they can't get little Johnny/Mary to do their homework or come home on time by curfew. And yes, these calls have to be handled by officers. In many agencies only a small number of officers are assigned to traffic duties to perform tasks such as radar.
So get off your high horse and stay in your perfect little state if you're afraid of the east.
that would be PWC would it not? a high school acquaintance of mine knew the fallen officer. pretty disgusting human being you'd have to be to think police officers in any area of the country are more concerned with stuffing the governments pockets than combating serious crime.
As far as officers being out there stopping burglary, robbery and such are you really this dense? Officers deal with this crap everyday of their career and too many lose their life over this. My former agency just lost a female officer on her FIRST day on the fuggin job and 2 others were shot and seriously injured by a freakin thug.
Bigfoot, I live not far from where that happened. I'm not a death penalty supporter, but if I was, the loathsome human being who shot two police officers and shot and murdered a third would be first on the list. As it is, I hope he's locked up in the deepest pit the state of Virginia has to offer.
That incident also made me re-think my support for the legal ownership of assault rifles. It seems to me what ARs are really perfect for is murdering police officers. And I have an problem with that.
I just want to chime in with my court case today. With all the different opinions on this thread, there's really no solid ANSWER but I can give you my experience first hand. First and foremost, reckless driving is reckless driving. ANY moving violation can be charged as reckless driving. When your operating a 3000 lb vehicle over 20mph it is a dangerous situation and should be treated as such. I'm well aware of that and I have learned a great deal from this experience. I currently have a MD DL with a 0 point balance.
That being said, I recieved a 90/55 on 395 going to Reagan. I was late to my flight so I made a conscience decision to speed. It was 3am so the roads were clear. I was caught by and officer pacing me. He was hiding and crept out and sped to catch me. I think he got the speed incorrect, he just logged his highest speed before I got back into the slow lane and slowed down since I saw him coming. None the less I was easily in the 75-85 range so it's reckless all the same.
I hired a lawyer for about 600$ Including unlimited appearances. My first court date my lawyer filed for a continuance because he didn't like the judge. My second court date was two months later. In that time I attended a voluntary driver class. It was 3 days long 2hr each and cost $200.
Today I went in and my lawyer spoke to the prosecutor before the case. He was able to get me 1yr probationary. If I get another moving violation in the next 12 months, I will be guilty of reckless driving, 7 points, 6month DL suspension, 1 day jail time and $1000 fine. If I keep a clean record, it will be reduced to speeding with 2 points $25 fine + $60 court fee.
I still have to complete 40hrs of community service but I have until October to do so.
Lesson learned. Done and done. Missing my flight that morn would have caused me less headache, stress and money. I would say get a lawyer. If you message me I'll give you my lawyers info. He helped me a lot. Dress well for your appearance. Business attire for a business occasion. Seriously, it surprised me how many people showed up in jeans and basketball shoes. And a white button up shirt no tie doesn't cut it.
In Virginia, unless you are an old guy (50+) with 30 years of clean driving, it is advisable to hire a local lawyer to represent you on any Reckless Driving charge. The prosecutor and judge know what they are doing and they are serious about the charge. If you are not, it could cost you a lot more than the price of the lawyer.
Today I went in and my lawyer spoke to the prosecutor before the case. He was able to get me 1yr probationary. If I get another moving violation in the next 12 months, I will be guilty of reckless driving, 7 points, 6month DL suspension, 1 day jail time and $1000 fine. If I keep a clean record, it will be reduced to speeding with 2 points $25 fine + $60 court fee.
I mean 90 is up there, but that's actually terrible that your lawyer couldn't get it reduced to regular speeding straight up. 40 hours of community service...12 months probationary...LOL any lawyer worth their salt would get that reduced easily....that's the whole point of paying $600 for them. Sorry man you got taken for a ride on that one. VA can't put points on your MD license either that is up to MD to deal with.
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General what-to-expect for those who are panicking
