Out of State Drivers And Portsmouth Reckless Driving Charges

A reckless driving charge in Portsmouth can be a huge inconvenience do drivers who live out of state. The driver will likely be required to make arrangements to appear in court in Portsmouth regardless of their out of state status.

They will be treated the same as a local driver with the exception of the results of their case, which will be forwarded to their home state who then can impose its own consequences if it so chooses. This may have an impact on their out of state license meaning the extent of the impact on an out-of-state license really depends on the rules of the state that issued the license.

Regardless, if you have been accused of reckless driving as an out of state driver, the following is what you should know about your charge. Call today to schedule a free consultation with a Portsmouth reckless driving lawyer to discuss your charge and the best way to proceed.

Do Out of State Drivers Need to Appear in Court?

Out of state drivers charged with reckless driving in Portsmouth will have to be present for the court date unless they can somehow arrange with their attorney for their attorney to be present without them. But this is not always possible, so they should not count on it.

Why Not Just Pay the Fine or Mail in a Check?

Because reckless driving is a criminal offense, it is not possible to prepay anything and then not appear in court as it would be with a traffic ticket. Criminal convictions have an impact on the person convicted for the rest of their life.

They can have their careers affected as well as many other important aspects of their life. For this reason, even if it was possible to prepay the fine and accept the guilt without going to court just to move on quickly, it would be highly advised that someone not choose that route.

The threat of a criminal conviction should be taken seriously and people should be diligent to do everything to protect themselves against this, beginning by getting a good lawyer.

Advantages of Local Counsel in Portsmouth Reckless Driving Cases

Having a local attorney in Portsmouth will give a potential client an advantage because the attorney will know the Portsmouth court’s usual way of handling reckless driving cases.

While reckless driving is charged the same throughout Virginia, each jurisdiction still tends to have its own rules and customs which are typically unwritten which the local attorneys are used to working with.

Another advantage is that local attorneys will have prior experience in front of the particular judges. And if their prior interactions have been positive, then the attorney may be more credible in the eyes of the judge and therefore the judge wound be more likely to grant the attorney a favorable outcome because he knows the attorney is trustworthy.