Ticketed on I81 for Speed and Window Tint (office, education)

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

OK, back for an update now.

I have the tickets in front of me. The county it occurred was Shenandoah. Son was confused when he talked to me. There is no set fine yet. The officer told him that it could be as high as $2500. Based on the ticket, he can just call and get the fine information, but paying it and not going to court would get him the Class 1 Misdemeanor.

Together (yes, I sat in the chair next to him) we went through a list of attorneys that specialize in this. Most of them seem to have offices in Harrisonburg, which is good. He heads back there tomorrow anyway because his job is in Harrisonburg. Anyway, he is calling the list of 5 names we have so far to see what their fees are and to try to set up an appointment this coming week for when he is back at his house. Hoping they will get him right in and let him know what the situation is. He looked up some information and decided to order his driving record from the DMV. If he has time before returning to Harrisonburg tomorrow, he's going to swing by the mechanic we use to get the speedometer checked (also something he read you should do, not sure why though).

For those concerned about my parenting skills, I will be at work all day tomorrow so I won't be able to hover over him while he calls the attorneys.

Calibration can help but the chances of it being off by 6 MPH is very slim. If he was charged with 81/70 and it was off 2 MPH in his favor it most certainly could be reduced to speeding. Without looking back I believe you said it was 85/70 so it would need to be off 6 and this is highly unlikely but I guess possible.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I don't think it would affect getting jobs or a clearance unless there were complicating factors. I know someone who became an E9 in the military and, later, a supervisor at a large government agency, despite having an RD on his record.

I've known police officers, 2 to be exact, get hired with RD on their record although it was several years before being hired. So no, this will not interfere with a background check, unless he's applying to something in the next year or so. Management usually likes to see a bit of time has passed between the violations and application process.

[BarqCider]

lawyer will help drop it from RD. That's how they make $$ down there. Just expect insurance to go up now.

[z28lt1]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

TMy husband did just remind me that the back windows of the Honda Element were tinted because he used to use it for overnight camping when he did his triathalons. So apparently we are guilty on that score.

The rear, and back side windows on an SUV can be any % of "darkness" in Virigina. So unless there is more than the back tinted, or you used a reflective tint, there should be no ticket for this.

[ChristineVA]

Update: My son called approximately 6 lawyers yesterday. Three returned his call and one of those three said he was just too busy to take a case.

Of the two remaining, my son really "clicked" with one. He spent about 20 minutes on the phone with my son going through the whole process in great detail, what he would need my son to provide, strongly recommended my son appear in court (apparently you don't have to). The down side is that he was the priciest of the two lawyers but the cheaper lawyer, my son didn't care for at all. So he decided to go with the one he liked. They have an appointment on Thursday afternoon to get the ball rolling. The lawyer seemed to be well-versed with who the judge is and who the CA is and it seems he has a working relationship with them all (obviously I guess).

[Bigfoot424]

Good luck.

[boyd888]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

They have an appointment on Thursday afternoon to get the ball rolling. The lawyer seemed to be well-versed with who the judge is and who the CA is and it seems he has a working relationship with them all (obviously I guess).

If his office is anywhere near the courthouse I guarantee you he's on a first name basis with all the CA, judges, and probably the ticketing officer. Lawyers make it sound like they are "familiar" with these people when really they are basically coworkers and make small talk between cases and stuff (at least the ones that like each other). Not that I'm saying they should be enemies, but they're making small talk in the deal room while you are out there sweating bullets. You should have no problems getting the reckless dropped to a regular speeding (if not more) and the tint dismissed.

[Tish Thompson]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

So just heard back from my son. He has been charged with reckless driving and has to appear in court. According to the officer, though, since my son was "so polite" he didn't put something on there about suspension of license. I'm not up on all these degrees of ticketing so I'm not sure what sort of break he got. He can opt out of the trial and pay the fee of $2500. I'm thinking since he's 21, never had one ticket, he needs to go to court (probably with a lawyer??) to get the reckless reduced. Not sure what to do. Of course it will be his second day of classes on his trial date and he's in some weird course next semester that has him in one class all semester, all day, 5 days a week. I'm sure he can get an excused absence for this.

Every time my son makes this drive I harp on him about making sure not to speed on I81 and I66. They never listen.

He got reckless for 15 over the limit? Usually it's 20 and that's when you have to worry about losing your license. According to one of the officers I was pulled over by, they can take your license on the spot at 20 mph over the limit and that's when court is mandatory. Was your son making crazy lane changes or anything else in addition to speeding? Something is not adding up.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Tish Thompson

He got reckless for 15 over the limit? Usually it's 20 and that's when you have to worry about losing your license. According to one of the officers I was pulled over by, they can take your license on the spot at 20 mph over the limit and that's when court is mandatory. Was your son making crazy lane changes or anything else in addition to speeding? Something is not adding up.

Lots of incorrect information in this post.


Over 80 can be written for RD.


20 and over can be written for RD.


Officers do NOT take your license. A magistrate can take your license for DUI for 7 days I believe. Or a judge can take it for anything he/she wants. But never an officer.


Boyd. I'm assuming, correctly hopefully, that none of this has changed since I retired?

[boyd888]

Yes I would say that is all still true. Not sure why someone would come in on page 5 and post a bunch of misinformation and questions that were answered on the first page, but that's the beauty of the internet.