84mph speeding ticket in Emporia, Greensville County, VA (Hampton: rentals, insurance)

[kku]

I'm from PA and was travelling to FL. There were so many cars on road and I was driving in a cluster of may be 6-7 cars. I saw a cop with laser speed detecting thing but it was close call. Before I knew it he was on road and pulled me over. It was unfortunate that only I was pulled over while other cars were doing similar speed. I got "Speeding Reckless" written on my ticket and cop said I don't have to appear in court and I can just pay fine online or on phone. Upon doing research, in VA doing over 80mph in any zone is considered reckless driving. So now I'm worried. Cop said I don't have to appear in court but If I hire a lawyer, then would I have to appear in court with lawyer? What should I do? Do VA state report reckless driving to PA state? If VA reports to PA, will my license in PA be suspended? What are my options?

[Bludy-L]

If you choose to fight the ticket and obtain legal council, yes you will have to appear personally in court. You would be well advised to hire a local attorney.

VA and PA do not reciprocate on speeding tickets so you will not get points against your driver's license. PA would not consider this a reckless driving charge just because VA designates it as such anyhow. Your insurance company may or may not get wind of it.

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[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Bludy-L

If you choose to fight the ticket and obtain legal council, yes you will have to appear personally in court. You would be well advised to hire a local attorney.

VA and PA do not reciprocate on speeding tickets so you will not get points against your driver's license. PA would not consider this a reckless driving charge just because VA designates it as such anyhow. Your insurance company may or may not get wind of it.

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I didn't work down there but the part I put in bold may not be true. I won't argue with this person as they may have direct info and I don't. But check with a local attorney to find out. Most jurisdictions in VA allow an attorney to stand in for the client in cases such as these as long as the state is not asking for jail time. Which in this case I guarantee they won't.

[Bludy-L]

I'm a PA resident so you may be correct as far as VA goes. It seems strange to me however as any court papers normally need to be signed by the defendant. But if VA is OK with that who am I to dispute it.

I personally would just pay the fine if I knew I was guilty and didn't dispute the methods used by the cop. Regardless of being singled-out of a group, you were an out of stater and most likely would plead guilty and not appear...an easier target than nailing fellow VA drivers.

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[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Bludy-L

I'm a PA resident so you may be correct as far as VA goes. It seems strange to me however as any court papers normally need to be signed by the defendant. But if VA is OK with that who am I to dispute it.

I personally would just pay the fine if I knew I was guilty and didn't dispute the methods used by the cop. Regardless of being singled-out of a group, you were an out of stater and most likely would plead guilty and not appear...an easier target than nailing fellow VA drivers.

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Officers could caare less if it's someone from out of state or a VA resident. He/she has to point the Lidar at someone and in this case it was the OP.

OP- Pay if you want but a RD conviction can be more costly. You'll have to decide if paying an attorney is worth it or not but you will likely not see it reduced to a speeding without the assistance of one.

[Bludy-L]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Officers could caare less if it's someone from out of state or a VA resident. He/she has to point the Lidar at someone and in this case it was the OP.

Lol....OK if you choose to believe that



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[majicdonjuan]

Originally Posted by Bludy-L

Lol....OK if you choose to believe that



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Agreed. When I was in college in the Hampton Roads area, I used to get pulled over all the time when I had TX tags. Miraculously, senior year when I switched my tags over to VA, I stopped getting pulled over. I definitely didn't feel targeted as much.

VA plates aren't hard to discern, even on the highway at high speed, since they are very plain. Most other states are not. I definitely think the cops, particularly in Emporia, profile for out-of-staters.

[Bludy-L]

That all being said.....if you're going 84 mph, even in a 65 zone, you can't really complain about the ticket. That really is pushing the envelope. I chalk those things up to learning a lesson the hard way and take it like a man.

Now when I got a ticket in PA by a local cop for 2 miles over the limit, that's when my blood boils. I think he was looking for drunk drivers and when he realized I was sober, he had to come up with something as a reason.

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[Flamingo13]

I agree that 2 miles over is nuts, how can that even be proved?

[slowlane3]

Emporia is the most notorious speed trap in VA. There have been long discussion threads about this, on the Virginia forum of the following website Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor