Reckless driving in Prince William County (Fairfax: car, retired, office) - Northern Virginia - Virginia (VA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Erma · 06-13-2008, 07:36 AM

I think Virginia has finally woken up to the speeding problems we've had on our interstates. I remember going thru Pennsylvania to the Ohio Turnpike. On that route, they have a sign with the fine costs for every mile over the speed limit. I used to chuckle when I saw the sign that said "slow down, you're not in Virginia anymore!"

jaywallace · 06-14-2008, 06:39 AM

If you have a good record just talk to the Commonwealth Attorney when the judge allows you too. Request that you take an online driving course and they will more than likely reduce it to straight speeding a fine. Personally I wouldn't waste money on a lawyer, they will just do the exact same thing. If you have a bad record, get a lawyer.

stormcool · 07-18-2008, 12:04 PM

I just came back from the court and just want to share my experience. I hired a traffic lawyer for my case and he was able to talk to the prosecutor and the deal was made to reduce my reckless driving charge 87/65 to 74/65 which is a normal speeding ticket, take online course and 3 point deduction and pay the fine.

Now couple of thoughts:

Did really I need a lawyer?
Maybe. In my case, I have to make sure that the reckless driving offense does not stick or I risk my government clearance which is much worse because that is very important to my job. So I can leave no chance for that to happen.

So what did lawyer do?
He asked me to do the calibration and the calibration shows my meter was off by 3 miles/hour so that that helped a little. Since I have a relatively clean record, he did not ask me to do anything else. He also talked to the prosecutor and struck a deal

Can I do what my lawyer did?
I don't know. In Prince William county, you are actually "allowed" to talk to prosecutors without a lawyer unlike fairfax county. But I am not sure if I know how to plead or what to negotiate or what kinda of deal is fair enough to settle. Also the hassle of court procedures to talk to the prosecutor I will have to heal with.

Fee?
850 for me.

In retrospect, I do not regret hiring a lawyer since I have to make sure that the reckless driving charge does not stick or it will be on my record for 11 years. Lawyer fee is steep but it is nothing comparing to skyrocketing car insurance premium and the loss of government clearance.

One more thing, when you shop for a lawyer, different lawyers will tell you different things but I do believe that most of them give you honest their assessments. You may want to go with the one who is optimistic about your case because I think that they will try hard to achieve that outcome. Of course, you have to be the one to tell who is being honest and who is telling you what you want to hear.

Hope it helps.

car54 · 07-18-2008, 12:42 PM

The judge and the prosecutors are all lawyers. They like to see people supporting their profession.

That's why your attorney's fee was money was well spent.

jaywallace · 07-19-2008, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by car54

The judge and the prosecutors are all lawyers. They like to see people supporting their profession.

That's why your attorney's fee was money was well spent.

Couldn't be further from the truth. He could have gotten (and would have with his record) the exact same deal if he went in there and spoke with the Commonwealth Attorney himself. It has nothing to do with anybody supporting a profession.

car54 · 07-19-2008, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrovic

Couldn't be further from the truth. He could have gotten (and would have with his record) the exact same deal if he went in there and spoke with the Commonwealth Attorney himself. It has nothing to do with anybody supporting a profession.

There are no "truths", just opinions, and I stand by mine.

I come from a long line of lawyers, including a retired US District Court judge, and a current Asst. US Attorney. And professionally and socially, I am/was involved with many lawyers.

I've heard what I told the OP too many times for it to be completely without merit. But court is a crapshoot and blanket statements do not apply.

But generally, IMHO, you are better off with an attorney than without....

tamitrail · 07-19-2008, 08:47 AM

How about not even getting to the point where a lawyer is need. STOP SPEEDING!

rgr505 · 05-10-2010, 08:39 PM

I used this site to get information on what I should do about my reckless driving ticket. I was stopped doing 82/65. I hired a lawyer for $1,500 and had my driving charge reduced to 79/65 so I ended up paying about $250 in fines and NO reckless driving on my record. Every single person in the courtroom who did not hire a lawyer got approximately the same fine but still left court with reckless driving going onto their driving record. A lot of people posted on the web that the judge reduced charges on most people but I sat through the entire proceeding and the only people who got reckless driving reduced to a lower charge were those with attorneys. My recommendation: bite the bullet and get a lawyer...I struggled with this decision prior to court because many said their charges were reduced but trust me, it'll take a few bucks and it'll be worth it.

ajzjmsmom · 05-10-2010, 08:59 PM

I see post after post on here about reckless driving charges and I just don't get it. I understand alot of people speed but it just seems to me the price to be paid is way to high, points off of your license, increase in insurance and court and lawyer fees, just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Denton56 · 05-10-2010, 09:21 PM

Of course it's not worth it but none of these people think they will get caught. One of my sons got caught ONCE, he never did it again. Court scared him, cost him a lot of money in lawyer's fees, and he hated the class he had to attend. It was NOT a good experience but a lesson well learned.