Newport News Reckless Driving For Out of State Drivers
In Virginia reckless driving is a serious offense that often comes with heavy fines and even jail time in some instances. In addition, a reckless driving conviction is a class 1 misdemeanor—meaning it goes on your criminal record—potentially affecting your ability to be employed or seek high education. For out-of-state drivers, this may not be obvious, and a reckless driving charge and summons may look very similar to a traffic ticket. The process of defending yourself from a charge like this can be confusing and frustrating.
A Newport News reckless driving lawyer answers questions about how reckless driving charges can affect out of state drivers, and what obligations the driver as a result of the summons. For more information or to talk more specifically about your case, contact a reckless driving lawyer in Newport News today for a free consultation.
How Can a Newport News Reckless Driving Charge Impact an Out of State Driver?
Out of state drivers are often surprised to learn about Virginia’s stringent reckless driving laws. Many people have told me that they didn’t realize that going 81 was reckless because they were in an area where the speed limit was 70. They assume that since it is only 11 over it will only be speeding if it was anything at all.
A reckless driving charge can be very inconvenient for an out of state driver because they have to return to court for the date on the summons. A conviction in Virginia will be shared with the driver’s home state and the consequences imposed by the home state will depend on the particular person’s home state.
Should You Just Pay a Reckless Driving Ticket to Get it Over With?
This is not an option with reckless driving charges in Virginia as it is with other traffic tickets. Since it is a criminal offense, the driver is required to show up to court in person and cannot prepay at all. If it were an option it wouldn’t be a smart one anyway. The implications of doing such would be admitting guilt to a criminal charge which will then remain on your criminal record for ever. A driver should not simply throw away all their chances of having a charge reduced by paying in advance. A criminal conviction is serious, comes with serious consequences and should not be ignored to just get it over with.
What Are Some of The Most Common Misconceptions About Reckless Driving Charges in Newport News?
A common misconception we have seen is that the speed doesn’t matter in a reckless driving conviction of 81 in a 70 for example is the same as reckless driving conviction of 30 over. This is simply not true. There are some judges who will show absolutely no leniency to a driver who is driving 30 miles or more over the speed limit and will throw them directly in jail right on the spot. The speed definitely matters. It is much easier to convince a judge to reduce the reckless driving charge for speeding when the driver was closer to the border of speeding and reckless.
What Are Some of the First Things You Ask When Meeting With a Potential Reckless Driving Client For The First Time?
We ask the potential client to tell me what happened in as much detail as possible. We want to know what the officer said to them and what the driver’s response was. We want to know if the driver was polite and cooperative to the officer and if there is anything about the interaction that stuck out to them. The details of the circumstances are important to determine what the chances are for being successful during the argument. The reason for the stop is important, the weather conditions are important, the driver’s personal background is also something to consider such as whether he has a prior record or he is otherwise an outstanding citizen and this was a rare fluke on an otherwise unblemished past.
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