Newport News Speeding Ticket Lawyer
Speeding offenses in Virginia range from simple traffic infractions, which are punishable by just a fine and some demerit points, to a criminal misdemeanor for reckless driving, which can land you jail time and hefty fines in addition to a license suspension. A Newport News speeding ticket lawyer can help you understand the difference and explain how you should proceed in order to give yourself the best chance at minimizing the harm. A criminal lawyer in Newport News can potentially have these pretty serious charges reduced to a lesser charge or ideally dismissal together.
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Speeding Offenses in Virginia
In Newport News, the main types of speeding offenses are general speeding, which is a traffic infraction, and excessive speeding which is charged as a misdemeanor. Speeding in Virginia is when you go over the speed limit up until 19 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, while reckless driving is charged for speeds over 80 miles per hour anywhere, or for 20 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit.
The major difference between an infraction speeding offense and a misdemeanor speeding offense is that an infraction will affect only your driving record and over time will disappear completely, whereas a misdemeanor is a criminal conviction that will last you for the rest of your life. It’s punishable by jail time, a hefty fine and up to six months of a license suspension.
Can I Be Pulled Over For Only Going 5 MPH Over The Limit?
You can be pulled over in Virginia for going any number of miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Whether an officer is really going to bother to pull someone over who’s going only five miles per hour over the speed limit is debatable. It’s also unlikely that a judge would issue the speeding ticket to somebody who comes into court who has been charged going five miles per hour over the speed limit, however technically it is still speeding.
Showing Up To Court For a Speeding Ticket
For a speeding ticket, you do not have to appear in court if you are willing to pay the fine and admit guilt to the charges. This is different from reckless driving because reckless driving is a jailable criminal offense which means that you are absolutely required to appear in court to answer the charges and don’t have the option at all of pre-admitting guilt. For either a speeding ticket or a reckless driving charge, even if you don’t have to, it is often a good idea to appear in court with a Newport News speeding ticket lawyer instead of blindly admitting guilt without giving yourself a fair opportunity to contest the charges or negotiate the final sentence.
What to Look For On a Speeding Ticket
If you receive a speeding ticket in Newport News, you should pay very close attention to what the actual speeding ticket says. A speeding ticket and a reckless driving ticket, in appearance, are almost identical. Someone who is unfamiliar with the differences could very easily mistake one for the other. So it’s really important to pay close attention to see what you’re charged with because a reckless driving ticket has much more serious consequences and implications than a general speeding ticket.
What Are Some Things People Don’t Realize About Speeding Tickets?
What many people don’t realize about speeding tickets in Virginia is how easily a speeding ticket can go from a simple traffic infraction to a criminal charge. The dividing line between the two is just one mile per hour. If someone is going 19 miles per hour over the speed limit they could be charged with an infraction, whereas if they’re going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit they could be charged with a much more serious offense of a criminal misdemeanor. This is punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2500 and a license suspension of up to six months, which means it’s really important to understand the difference and consult with a Newport News speeding ticket attorney if charged.
Advantages of a Newport News Speeding Ticket Lawyer
Having an experienced Newport News speeding ticket lawyer is a definite advantage to anyone charged with a speeding ticket because without a lawyer you will risk either admitting guilt for something that you shouldn’t have admitted guilt for at all, or showing up in court and trying to argue ineffectively something that easily could have been reduced or dismissed with proper assistance and counsel.
An experienced lawyer will be able to adequately explain what exactly you need to do and what information is relevant to the court and can also explain to you the different customs and rules that each particular court has so that you don’t make an embarrassing mistake. They’re also familiar with the judges, as well as each courtroom, so they are able to navigate better the system because they’re familiar with the different nuances and personality quirks that each particular judge is going to have.
