Chesapeake Speeding Ticket Lawyer
Speeding offenses can be extremely serious in Virginia. In fact, Virginia is one of the toughest states on speeders. A speeding ticket lawyer in Chesapeake can help you navigate the confusing legal system and figure out what the best approach is for your charges.
Types of Speeding Offenses in Chesapeake
In Virginia, there are two different types of offenses that relate to speeding. First there is general speeding, which is the basic speeding infraction for simply driving too fast. But, Virginia also has an escalated type of speeding, which is called reckless driving and is actually a Class 1 misdemeanor.
These are major criminal offenses, which means that the difference between regular speeding and reckless driving is in the penalty. A conviction for reckless driving carries jail time as a possibility and can result in a permanent criminal record if you ultimately are convicted. Both speeding infractions and reckless driving convictions are punishable by a fine and by demerit points on the driver’s license.
Going to Court for a Speeding Offense
Speeding tickets do not require the defendant to appear in court. You can plead guilty online and prepay the offense without ever having to set foot inside a courtroom. This is different from reckless driving, because reckless driving requires that the defendant appear in court. This is because reckless driving is a misdemeanor, which is a criminal offense and Chesapeake requires defendants to appear in person to answer to criminal offenses.
What to Expect From a Speeding Ticket in Chesapeake
The first thing that someone should look for when they get a speeding ticket is to make sure that what they are getting charged with is actually a speeding ticket. It’s very easy for someone to believe that they’ve been charged with a speeding infraction when in fact they’ve been issued a reckless driving summons, which is much more serious. On their ticket they should look to see whether it is specified as speeding or reckless driving. That will determine the next step, because for speeding they may not go to court if they don’t want, but for reckless driving, they are absolutely required to go.
Virginia is harsh on speeders, so you should expect that speeding tickets are easily dished out and a reckless driving charge could come out of nowhere. In Chesapeake, and Virginia generally, it is often advisable to work with a local lawyer, such as a Chesapeake speeding ticket lawyer, when facing speeding charges.
How a Speeding Ticket Differs From Reckless Driving in Virginia
Reckless driving is a type of speeding charge, but it’s not even close to the same thing as a speeding ticket. Speeding tickets are infractions, whereas reckless driving is a criminal offense. That means that reckless driving is a much more serious offense. There are also other ways to get a reckless driving conviction besides driving too fast. Speeding is only one category of reckless driving.
Value of an Experienced Chesapeake Speeding Ticket Lawyer
Having an experienced Chesapeake speeding ticket attorney is advantageous because a lawyer is going to know the defenses that lay people aren’t going to be privy to—unless they’ve been in court many times for something similar. A Chesapeake area speeding lawyer can explain exactly what it is the defendant will be facing in court and what they should do to best prepare.
With an attorney there is a possibility of having the charge reduced to something better or dismissed completely. If it’s not possible for the charges to be reduced or dismissed, then the attorney can still help mitigate the consequences, so that the conviction will have a less of an impact on the defendants personal life.
Virginia treats speeding a little bit differently, because Virginia is a lot harder on speeders than other states. Other jurisdictions don’t have reckless driving as a misdemeanor; other states treat excessive speeding as a higher level of speeding infraction which does not come with the possibility of jail time or a criminal record as a consequence. For this reason, in Virginia, more than most states, a person charged with speeding should consult a local Chesapeake speeding ticket attorney.
