Legal advice for Reckless Driving by Speed charge in Virginia?
A reckless driving ticket in Virginia for driving 83 mph in a 65 mph zone will most likely not result in you getting jail time or getting your license suspended provided you have an excellent driving record and you were polite to the officer. Getting an attorney is worth it if you don’t want to come back to Virginia to deal with your reckless driving ticket. An experienced reckless driving attorney can represent you without you having to come back and if the attorney knows what they are doing, they will not charge you extra to waive your appearance. Also, based on these facts, an experienced Virginia reckless driving lawyer can have the reckless driving charged amended to a lesser charge provided you give the attorney your driving record. Make sure that you hire a Virginia reckless driving defense attorney that you are most comfortable with.
Simply not showing up for the court date is not the answer. What will happen then is Virginia will suspend your driving privileges in their state, and if they have entered into an Agreement of Reciprocity with Maine, they’ll shoot off a letter to Maine who will then suspend your Maine license. (I don’t think they have that agreement, but I could be wrong.) And since Reckless Driving in Virginia is a “must appear” offense -meaning that you cannot just pay the fine by mail but must appear in court – I’d say you have a trip down South ahead of you. My advice, take it or leave it: Show up for court, WEAR A DRESS, BE ON TIME, and plead guilty to the offense. If you have a clean driving record and can get a copy of your transcript from Maine, do so and bring it with you to court. Show it to the judge, who may then reduce the offense from Reckless Driving to a simple speeding offense. After all, what do you have to lose? If you feel you need a lawyer and can afford one, by all means get one.
As you have noted, in Virginia it’s a misdemeanor charge, and it results in 6 points!. Also, apparently it is up to the officer’s discretion to impound your car on the spot. In my opinion (I am in no way a legal expert), it might be in your best interests to get an attorney. If you can’t afford one, you may be able to use a Public Defender. Contact them here: http://www.publicdefender.state.va.us/ Here’s one site with info; granted, it’s self-serving, since they want you to hire them: http://www.vatrafficlaw.com/reckless.htm…
Reckless in VA requires that you show in court. It is criminal charge and will effect grad school and study abroad. It can pose a problem with background checks, visas and clearances. If you are no show eventually your Maine license will be suspended.. No way around it. If you skip it you could be arrested even if you show a valid Maine license. Time to talk to relatives and get money for a lawyer.
