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Old 03-10-2013, 05:58 PM
 
13 posts, read 35,430 times
Reputation: 11

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Dear friends,

My husband got a Reckless Speed ticket at I295 ( prince george county) yesterday for driving 91 mph on a 70 mph speed limit , the road was pitch dark and just one another car distant on the road , it was a long drive returning from Orlando to Fairfax, one of my daughters had diarrhea and urging for restroom , so my husband momentarily unconsciously raised the speed a bit and thats when he was caught. We live in Fairfax, Virginia and my husband has a Virginia license.

My husband has a clean traffic and criminal record , 0 points and no tickets received so far ( he got his US license July 2012) . So this was his first ticket since we moved to US last april. We also used to live in Illinois 6-7 years ago and he had no tickets or offense that time as well with illinois license . So we are new to US and had no clue at all that speeding was a criminal offense in Virginia.. It was our daughter's birthday yesterday and unfortunately the day turned out a shocking day for us, when we read online what serious implications could a Reckless ticket have on one's career, criminal record etc.. we are in a state of shock..

The cop however didnot make this sound so serious when he handed the yellow slip. He tick marked the box which said need not attend court if prepayment is made and said.. you can either pay the fine online or you should appear at Prince george traffic court on April 3rd 2013. He also said that the judge could bring down the penalty and also give a different violation.. On asking to further explain what this ticket meant, he said to call the toll free number on the slip on Monday / Tomorrow and check the details and since my husband is traveling on April 3rd , cop said to ask to move the date of court appearance if you cant make it on that date.


Please my expert friends, I need your advice on the following.

1. Since this is such a serious offense , should we really hire an attorney ? If yes, please let me know if you know any attorney in Prince George who can help us..
2. Or as some online posts say, go directly to court yourself and ask for for Plea Bargaining, and the judge would bring down penalty and seriousness of violation.. Do you think he should take this risk of going alone as this could end up as criminal offense.
3. Or does he go alone first and if there isnt any plea bargaining, then he says not guilty and then hires a lawyer to contest ?
4. Lastly, how far can my husband ask to move the court appearance date from April 3rd .. , as he is traveling that week.

Please help us with the right guidance.. More than anything else, Permanent Criminal Record could be disastrous and shatter his career long term.. its been a sleep less day and night since we got this ticket..
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Old 03-10-2013, 07:42 PM
 
Location: Richmond, VA, from Boston
1,514 posts, read 2,778,530 times
Reputation: 814
If you are that worried, get an attorney. And yes, you should at 91
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Old 03-13-2013, 07:12 AM
 
457 posts, read 694,105 times
Reputation: 536
Tell your husband to bend over and lube up. There's no reason to do 91mph on any interstate.
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Old 03-13-2013, 04:47 PM
 
Location: The Ranch in Olam Haba
23,707 posts, read 30,758,648 times
Reputation: 9985
Quote:
.....so my husband momentarily unconsciously raised the speed a bit and thats when he was caught.
There is no momentary to take a car from 70 to 91(mph). Per your previous posts you are a H1B from Dubai. Anyone who has driven in Dubai knows citizens there set up seperate accounts just for speeding tickets. Thus you thought doing 150 kph in the US was going to be a simple fine? You thought that because the US doesn't use speed cameras in the same manner as Dubai, you would not be caught? You're just lucky the US does not confiscate your car as in Dubai for reckless driving. Contacting a lawyer is a good idea. But what you should be worrying about is the wording in your H1B contract and see if there is a section that covers convictions.
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Old 03-13-2013, 05:02 PM
 
Location: The Ranch in Olam Haba
23,707 posts, read 30,758,648 times
Reputation: 9985
FYI FWIW
In Dubai its a $545 fine, 12 points and a car confiscation.

OP exceeded speed limit by 34kph
RTA Dubai Police Traffic Fines Dubai

24 points and you lose your ability to drive for a year.

Rules of black points on driving license RTA and Dubai Police

Also FWIW I have no points in the US nor do I have any points in Dubai (as I spend numerous months working there).
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Old 03-16-2013, 12:53 PM
 
200 posts, read 620,495 times
Reputation: 192
Quote:
Originally Posted by fairfax_user View Post
... had no clue at all that speeding was a criminal offense in Virginia..
The hundreds of "speed limit" signs that you passed on your drive didn't clue you in? (Or the driver's test to get the license in the first place?)

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