Reckless Driving in VA - Help! (Arlington: insurance, crime, how much)

[CWBAZ]

So, here is the story:

A few nights ago I was visiting an old friend in VA. I have a valid MD license with no previous infractions.

The conditions were a light drizzle, cloudy, about 9pm, and moderate traffic.

I pulled off the beltway and onto Arlington boulevard. On the off ramp, I was behind a car going about 15-20mpg, admittedly I was tailgating him. When we finally got to Arlington boulevard, I took the first opportunity to get around the driver. AB is a 3 lane road going one direction, with a medium and a 3 lane road going the other direction, I believe (need to double check) the posted speed limit is either 35 or 40 mph. To pass him, I went over to the far left rain, accelerated to around 45 mph, then moved back to the right lane. Almost immediately after passing I had to stop at a red light (making the pass sadly pointless). At that point I was mostly a regular driver (going roughly 30), I don't think I was tailgating anyone (the officer may have thought differently, but I didn't ask and he didn't specify if it was the first driver or a later driver that I was tailgating). About 2 minutes later I pulled into a side road to avoid the lights ahead, where I was promptly pulled over. I was polite and complied with everything the officer wanted.

The officer cited 5 things:
-Failure to signal
-Weaving
-Driving to fast for the conditions (I do not believe he said I was above the speed limit/speeding)
-Avoiding a signal
-Tail gating

He gave me a reckless driving charge and a court date. I asked him a few questions, one answer was that he would not request jail time (I was shocked that was a possibility).

So that is the story, here are some of my questions:

-I've heard there is no "probation before judgement" in VA, is this correct?
-The remedial fees have been abolished, is this correct?
-What should I plead?
-What are the chances of getting the charge reduced?
-Should I get a lawyer? How much do they cost (by hour, by case?)
-If the charge is not reduced, how much of the max penalty would they likely try and charge me?
-Will I be looked at more harshly because I am out of state (I already believe this to be "yes")
-Will I even have a chance to tell my side of the story?

Some things I wonder about are from a legal standpoint. Some of the things he mentioned that I did wrong lie under aggressive driving, for which I was not cited, the only ones that regard reckless driving were the failure to signal and the driving to fast for conditions. Is this something I should mention, bring up, refute, or keep my mouth shut?

The biggest problem for me is the fine, max $2,500. I'm a student and I work part time (likely will only make $3000 this summer) and will likely not have a job that would be affected by this charge. With this in mind, I haven't figured out if it makes sense, from a money standpoint, to get a lawyer.

At current, it looks like I'll be going to court with no lawyer, pleading guilty, and hoping the charge is reduced based on this being my first offense.

[car54]

Do a search, man. Reckless drivers regularly seek sympathy here.

You yourself even admit that your reckless maneuver was "sadly pointless".

Man up and slow down, it ain't worth the hassle!

[CWBAZ]

Actually, yea, I posted the thread after reading a different one here, but all the questions I have were not answered in those threads/I didn't want to interrupt someone else's thread with my own (sob) story.

[tamitrail]

If you are a part time student who can't afford the crime, don't break the law. You will get the fine even if the judge goes easy on you. You are a student so you are probably young, yes? If so, it doesn't give you a good track record that this is your first offense. Now if you were driving for 20 years and this was your first offense, that would be a different story.

I have children and nothing irks me more when someone like you tailgates me.

[CWBAZ]

Agreed, I am pretty young, 21, so I have been driving for 5 years without incident.

One day your own child may display similar poor judgment, I hope you don't judge him or her as you have judged me.

[SmerkyGrl]

Originally Posted by CWBAZ

Agreed, I am pretty young, 21, so I have been driving for 5 years without incident.

One day your own child may display similar poor judgment, I hope you don't judge him or her as you have judged me.

My child would be judged harsher, because I would have taught him or her better and if he or she still made the same mistake, I'd let the full penalty play out to teach them a lesson

But to answer your question in case you have not done a search on the throngs of reckless drivers coming here for advice:

Get a lawyer. Look meek in front of the judge. Plead for mercy. Make promises to be careful from now on. Declare a lesson learned.

And let the financial burden from this incident be a lesson to you.

[CWBAZ]

I have read most of the threads here and they all have to do with speed, I haven't read one yet that covers what the officer cited for me.

And if its any consolation, I'm grounded until school starts again (middle of sept), where I won't have a car anyways. The next time I'll likely be allowed to drive will be December, as bad as things are with the courts, I feel even worse about losing my parents trust/confidence. Parents, your child will more than likely have a run in with the law, things are not like they were back in the 80's or prior. Do not delude yourself that your morals or methods of raising a child will somehow steer them clear, it can help, but in the end they are not influenced just by you, but by society.

I think as of now I'll plead guilty, show them my record, ask to take driving classes, and explain that I know my actions were unwise and that its been a good lesson learned (as my mom put it, don't let other drivers drive your car, that includes getting impatient at someone driving 20 below the speed limit).

[tamitrail]

Originally Posted by CWBAZ

I have read most of the threads here and they all have to do with speed, I haven't read one yet that covers what the officer cited for me.

And if its any consolation, I'm grounded until school starts again (middle of sept), where I won't have a car anyways. The next time I'll likely be allowed to drive will be December, as bad as things are with the courts, I feel even worse about losing my parents trust/confidence. Parents, your child will more than likely have a run in with the law, things are not like they were back in the 80's or prior. Do not delude yourself that your morals or methods of raising a child will somehow steer them clear, it can help, but in the end they are not influenced just by you, but by society.

I think as of now I'll plead guilty, show them my record, ask to take driving classes, and explain that I know my actions were unwise and that its been a good lesson learned (as my mom put it, don't let other drivers drive your car, that includes getting impatient at someone driving 20 below the speed limit).

I totally agree with everything SmerkyGrl said.

Nobody is deluded here. If my child breaks the law he/she will be judged WAY harsher than you...I will see to it.

Don't blame society for your lack of judgement. You didn't just make a mistake..you intentionally broke the law. You could have hurt yourself or even worse, somebody else. I'm glad you are showing some remorse in losing your parents trust.

Pay for your crime and promise yourself and your parents you'll never do it again AND STICK TO IT...you may not be so lucky the next time.

[SmerkyGrl]

You think you're speaking to all "old people parent-types" here? I'm 23, buddy. Only 2 years older than you. No one is deluded. In fact, my parents' "delusion" of instilling their morals and methods in me has guided me to my perfect driving record.

I look to pass on those same values into my children.

Once again, I suggest a lawyer. Overenthusiasm can also hurt you in court if you are looking to represent yourself.

[CWBAZ]

Whoa, I meant no offense, merely pointing out that most people do in fact have some driving infractions by the time they are 25 (usually not as egregious as reckless driving). Its the main reason people under 25 (especially males) have high insurance rates. My comment simply means that, hope for the best, but don't be surprised by the worst, and I hope if such an infraction occurs you won't judge your child as a bad person. And I'm not blaming society, what happened was my fault and mine alone, I'm just hoping to point out that sometimes things happen despite how you raise your children.

I had bad judgment, my parents are taking my car privileges away (for longer than the court can even do) and I fully expect to not only pay higher insurance premiums but also to have a high fine/criminal record. If I could have done things differently that night I would have, but I can't, so all I can tell the court is that it certainly won't happen again and that I'm sorry for my actions. I don't want a lawyer because I simply plan on telling the truth and not really even putting up a fight (I wouldn't be standing up for my actions if I tried to get off on a technicality, or whatever it is lawyers claim to be capable of doing), if its God's will that I receive a $2,500 fine, then so be it. I guess the main question I had in making the thread is, given my infractions, should I expect the max $2,500 fine (from what I've seen, no, the highest people seem to get charged is about $300 or so)? And what are the usual court fees in addition to those fines (I haven't seen anything on this yet)? The reason being is that, as I've noted, I would essentially start having to save right now in order to have enough money to pay these fines/fees. Right now I'm preparing for worst case scenario.