Reckless driving 86 in 55 VA experienced in court (Fairfax: attorneys, live)

[kimmynsw]

Hey y'all, just want to talk about my experience when I went to the court today for case of 86 in 55 miles speed in Route 66. I got in charged as a Reckless driving and Speeding. I did not hire any attorney ( I will tell you a reason later ) and I have to pay only $199, No suspension and did not take any point off.

First of all, DON'T ALWAYS TRUST WHAT PEOPLE SAID ON INTERNET ( including me, I'm only speak from my own experience ) because sometimes they can lie to you or convince you to hire attorney to waste more money unless your case are very bad like 90+ speed limit or -10 in your record, then YES you do need attorney cause you can go to jail, pay high amount of money, and more ~.

My driving record is +2 and I have been a good driver until when i drove to Route 66 and got pulled over by one of the police. I did not think that it would turn out this bad to the point that I have to go to the court but yeah.. he gave me a paper for signing and go to the court on the specific day due to Reckless driving.

I was very panic and scared during that time. I search on internet to find a solution that might me get out of reckless driving record. When I visit City-Data.com I looked at each and every blogs and people conversation. Yes.. they all said you have to hire attorney or you go to jail bah bah bah. At first, I trust them and about to hire one, but then I talked with one of my friends who had experienced with he case and he said I don't need to hire one because I have clean record. So I decided to trust my friend not what people said on internet.

Alright If you have clean record and this is your first time getting a ticket I do suggest this method that can help you ( you can trust me or not, it's up to you ~ )

1. Taking Improvement Class - They have it online (I'm 20 + so I can online class ) or you can go to class for 8 hours, after you done with the course. you have to go to your local UPS store to take a test ( yeah I know ,it sounds weird right ? ). If you pass they will give you a certificate ( this is for online class only, I don't know about an actual class )

2. get the SpeedMeter accuracy certificate - search on google to find the nearest Speedometer test near your house. If you lucky, your speed might be 2, 4, or 5 less then the actual speeding of your car.

3. Pledge guilty - Don't be ridiculous and said you are not guilty. There's no reason for driving this fast -_-' The judge will probably said you should leave early or anything else. just said you are guilty and the judge will ask for your words, so at this point you can show them all of your evidence and the judge will considerate about your case.

I saw many people come in with the attorney, all of them have to found guilty for speeding and pay around $150 - $500. I bet some people might have a very bad record and some are the same as me ( good record ) . Hire attorney plus Speeding might cause you a lot of money. In my case, I only have to pay $199 and that's it.

In conclusion, considering about your case before hiring attorney unless your case are very bad or you are rich People in internet keep saying I will go to jail and get charge up to $2,500 something LOL.. don't let them interfere you but what you need to be afraid is don't drive this fast ever again cause this will risk other people lives and your own life.

[kimmynsw]

Btw, I went to Fairfax county court

[TheSpecialOne]

Good for you. But there is something you need to know. Reckless speeding is a class 1 misdemeanor in VA.
It is not just about the money or keeping your driver record clean. It is more about keeping your CRIMINAL RECORD clean.
By pleading guilty, you have been convicted of reckless driving. The judge was lenient and lower your fines. But the conviction will stay on your criminal record. Unless the judge decided to drop the charges to improper driving.

Never plead guilty to reckless speeding. You always want the charges to be reduced to improper driving or completely dropped. That's where a good attorney will help.
You might be happy about the lower fines but you should check to make sure that the reckless speeding conviction will not appear on your criminal record.

[Blackjava]

Originally Posted by TheSpecialOne

Good for you. But there is something you need to know. Reckless speeding is a class 1 misdemeanor in VA.
It is not just about the money or keeping your driver record clean. It is more about keeping your CRIMINAL RECORD clean.
By pleading guilty, you have been convicted of reckless driving. The judge was lenient and lower your fines. But the conviction will stay on your criminal record. Unless the judge decided to drop the charges to improper driving.

Never plead guilty to reckless speeding. You always want the charges to be reduced to improper driving or completely dropped. That's where a good attorney will help.
You might be happy about the lower fines but you should check to make sure that the reckless speeding conviction will not appear on your criminal record.

Reckless driving conviction will not go to your criminal record, it only go to your driving record. I confirmed this with a couple attorneys around my area.

Let me give you an example, reckless driving cannot be expunged in the future, right? Why? Because it does not appear on people's criminal record; therefore it cannot get expunge.

[TheSpecialOne]

You are right. It will not really appear on your criminal record.
However, the fact is that you have been convicted of a class 1 misdemeanor.
Next time you fill an application you must answer “yes” when asked if you have ever
been convicted of a misdemeanor.

Is it the end of the world ? No. But it makes you look bad and can certainly cos you many opportunities.
You'll have to try to explain it the rest of your life.

[kimmynsw]

Well, I the judge told me that I'll not get a reckless driving record and he dropped it as a speeding ticket in my case. I was lucky because I have a clean record but my partner got a reckless driving record because his point is up to -11. However, this doe not impact with the criminal record. He still can work and apply the application for the job as usual.

[Blackjava]

I think many employers only care about drugs or violence crime. Other than that, I don't think reckless driving can affect people much. If you apply for some jobs involved in driving the companies' vehicles, that's another story.