88 in 70 zone, Reckless Driving in VA (lawyers, taxes, law)

[Stripes17]

Originally Posted by Jesco White

is there any place where the speed limit is 70 in VA? I didn't think it ever went above 65.

That came up in another thread recently and some posted that the speed limit does hit 70mph on I-85 in VA. I don't know for sure one way or the other, but I thought the max in VA was 65mph too.

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by Stripes17

That came up in another thread recently and some posted that the speed limit does hit 70mph on I-85 in VA. I don't know for sure one way or the other, but I thought the max in VA was 65mph too.

Speed Limit Laws

Maximum posted speed limits

"Effective 07/01/06, the posted limit on I-85 may be as high as 70 mph."

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

If he's in that much pain, he shouldn't have been driving in the first place.

He said he was going from A to B. I'm assuming returning home. You can't always assume everyone that posts these speeding threads are lying. Sometimes freak stuff like this does happen and always at the wrong times and I can only hope people are understanding when or if it happens to me.

I am tired of seeing the same people that are basically like vultures waiting to criticize posters in speeding ticket threads. I'm not saying you are one but there are people on here that get off on this sorta thing.

Anyways I would go and explain it. It can only help you. You already know what you COULD get. They are JUDGEs for a reason. You did not mention that you were drunk or anything. If you show up the judge might give you a break, the possibility is still there.

[reckless99]

Folks, I-85 is 70mph. Look it up in the Code of Virginia for the statute that explicitly authorizes this limit. It's posted 70mph from the NC state line north for about 50 miles or so.

As for the OP, you do know that this ticket is actually a Criminal Charge in Virginia, right?

The Code of Virginia has over 20 sections pertaining to reckless driving. It is defined as a Class 1 misdemeanor criminal offense, not a traffic infraction or a speeding ticket. For example, Virginia code explicitly defines the act of speeding 20 mph or more above the posted speed limit (or at any speed greater than 80 mph) as reckless driving.

All drivers convicted of reckless driving in Virginia, including out-of-state and foreign (e.g. Canadian) drivers, will have a permanent criminal record that will be indexed in the NCIC criminal database. The conviction will also be added to a Virginia driving record for 11 years, and six demerit points will be applied.

Do you feel that going back to challenge the ticket without a lawyer would be in your best interest? I mean, really, if this were a DUI or Assault&Battery (both Class 1 misdemeanors in Virginia, same as Reckless Driving), you wouldn't go it alone, would you?

I won't give you a lecture about your speed - that's for the judge and your parents to take care of. Right now, you still have your life ahead of you. Don't ruin it with a criminal record (unless you already have one, in which case, it probably doesn't matter to you anyway).

[CAVA1990]

Is this a scam to try to get reckless driving defense business for someone?

[reckless99]

Nope. Just that most of the advice on this forum conveniently ignores the fact that reckless driving is a criminal charge. And since the mods haven't made any sticky for this topic that keeps popping up, I may as well chime in with my two cents on the issue.

You got a problem with it?

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by reckless99

reckless driving is a criminal charge. .

You got a problem with it?

Yeah but so are 1,000 other things that never seem to get much play here.

[ReluctantGardenStater]

Virginia's speed limits and the state trooper's overzealous enforcement of them in some areas of the state are a bit ridiculous, in my opinion. I might sound a bit bitter, as I got a ticket in Virginia over the summer, but as soon as you cross the border from Tennessee into Virginia, the speed limit instantly drops, and there are about 20,000 signs declaring "Radars illegal", "Speed limits enforced by aircraft!" etc. I think there are greater problems in the state (in any state) than someone doing 10 or 15 over on the interstate. Many states have higher speed limits anyway, so it's not really as if doing 75-80 automatically renders your driving unsafe. Especially at off times, when there are few cars.

To the person who said that there could be deer on the road, so what? There's a road near where I live where the speed limit is 40 and people generally abide by it, doing 40-45 but there is a huge deer population and as such collisions with deer aren't unheard of. If he was driving 70 does that mean his car wouldn't be damaged and his life threatened by a collision with an animal? That was a silly statement.

I have nothing against Virginia as a state. Actually, I think it's quite lovely with beautiful countryside and some great historic towns and cities, from Roanoke to Williamsburg. I like Virginian culture. I do, however, think the cops are a bit scummy. I'm quite sure that where I got a ticket, in Wytheville, they regularly just shake down drivers, usually out of state, for revenue. Of course it's the trooper headquarters. It's just a lowdown thing to do and leaves a bad taste in people's mouths when traveling through the state. I don't drive like a maniac, but everyone (obviously not everyone so I can do without any pious comments such as "I don't!") speeds somewhat and it's really not a safety concern on a major interstate unless you are intoxicated or driving unsafely (weaving, not paying attention, tailgating, etc.) I drive the same through Tennessee, which has more sensible speed laws anyway and doesn't send their cops out to harass passersby.

[SunFl0wer]

It would be best to apologize to the judge, and if you must ultimately pay the fine, then do so graciously. Learn from your error, and move on with your life. Understandably, you may have had a physical problem, yet you chose to drive. Unfortunately, speeding only compounded that because you put other people's lives at risk as well as yours.

[CAVA1990]

Mods, can this be merged into an Official Reckless Driving Thread?