What Are Some Driving Charges That Carry Serious Penalties in Hampton?

Below, a Hampton reckless driving lawyer discusses driving charges that carry the most serious penalties in Hampton, Virginia. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.

Sure. Driving on a suspended license is a traffic violation that is also a criminal offense. There are many varieties of reasons someone’s license could be suspended such as accumulating too many DMV demerit points, receiving a DUI or reckless driving conviction, failing to pay court fines or failing  to complete a required driving program, among many violations. Furthermore, being convicted of a driving on a suspended license results in more suspended time on top of the time the license was originally suspended for in the first place. This means that if someone is caught and convicted of driving on a suspended license, and their license had been suspended, say for six months, then the license will be re-suspended for another six months that will  not begin to run until the first six months already ended. The punishment accumulates with each subsequent offense, and the consequences become more severe and include an active jail sentence of a mandatory minimum of up to ten days for each subsequent.

Another example is driving under the influence. A DUI conviction usually means a one year driver’s license suspension, and a mandatory alcohol assessment, treatment and education program. In addition, an ignition interlock system put into the driver’s vehicle, expensive fees to cover everything and a jail sentence. Just as the punishment increases for each subsequent driving on a suspended license conviction, the punishment for DUI gets worse for each subsequent offense as well. For a first time DUI, there is a mandatory five days in jail. Any convictions after that carries a higher mandatory minimum depending on the length of time since the last DUI conviction.

A final example is reckless driving.  In Virginia, reckless driving includes many different types of moving violations. This typically entails operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner that endangers life, limb or property or operating a vehicle speed that is generally considered to be reckless.

What is Reckless Driving in Virginia?

Reckless driving is a variety of moving violations which typically entail operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner. And there is a whole other variety of ways that you can be charged with this.

What Does it Mean to be Charged With This Offense?

Being charged with reckless driving means you are now facing the possibility of a class one misdemeanor conviction which is a criminal offense on your permanent criminal record. This means that a conviction is not able to be expunged and will follow the person for the rest of their life. It also affects their driving record as it results in six demerit points off their license.

What Are The Different Ways An Individual Can be Charged With This Offense?

The most common way people are charged are when they are driving over 80 miles per hour at any speed limit or when they are driving 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Other ways include passing a stopped school bus while it is loading or unloading passengers, passing an emergency vehicle with its lights on, driving faster than is safe under the weather condition at the time driving a vehicle with faulty brakes or racing.