Reckless Driving in VA

[danthegolfer]

What is the name of your state? Virginia

I was driving home from school, I had to stay a little bit late which in turn made me on the borderline of being late for work. I was caught clocked at 79 and 86 in a 55. The officer was nice and wrote me down for the 79. So that means, 24 over the speed limit... reckless driving... punishable by up to $2500 and jail time. i am just 18 and i am so scared i dont know what to do. this is my first ticket i have no other problems with my record. my court date is not until august 10th.. i dont want this to ruin my whole sumer but its going to.

since reckless driving is a misdemeanor... does that mean i am supposed to hire a lawyer?

i dont know what to do, im freaking out.

thanks, dan

 

[seniorjudge]

What is the name of your state? Virginia

I was driving home from school, I had to stay a little bit late which in turn made me on the borderline of being late for work. I was caught clocked at 79 and 86 in a 55. The officer was nice and wrote me down for the 79. So that means, 24 over the speed limit... reckless driving... punishable by up to $2500 and jail time. i am just 18 and i am so scared i dont know what to do. this is my first ticket i have no other problems with my record. my court date is not until august 10th.. i dont want this to ruin my whole sumer but its going to.

since reckless driving is a misdemeanor... does that mean i am supposed to hire a lawyer?

i dont know what to do, im freaking out.

thanks, dan

double post

https://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?p=1399203&posted=1#post1399203

 

[sukharev]

What is the name of your state? Virginia

I was driving home from school, I had to stay a little bit late which in turn made me on the borderline of being late for work. I was caught clocked at 79 and 86 in a 55. The officer was nice and wrote me down for the 79. So that means, 24 over the speed limit... reckless driving... punishable by up to $2500 and jail time. i am just 18 and i am so scared i dont know what to do. this is my first ticket i have no other problems with my record. my court date is not until august 10th.. i dont want this to ruin my whole sumer but its going to.

since reckless driving is a misdemeanor... does that mean i am supposed to hire a lawyer?

i dont know what to do, im freaking out.

thanks, dan

If you can afford one, sure, that's the best course of action for you. If you cannot, then you should at least try to ask the judge for leniency, and if lucky you will get probation or traffic school. Good luck.

 

[danthegolfer]

If you can afford one, sure, that's the best course of action for you. If you cannot, then you should at least try to ask the judge for leniency, and if lucky you will get probation or traffic school. Good luck.

this is what i wanted to hear. probation would ovbviously be the best for me, but traffic school would be ok too.. anyhting other than a freaking $2500 fine.

would it be a good idea for me to be pre-emptive about this and attend a driving school? is there anything i could do to show good faith to the judge to give him reason to provide me leniency? how do i request leniency from him lol im so clueless

by the way, i posted this thread on the DUI forum also because i wasnt really sure which spot to put it at.

thanks

 

[danthegolfer]

should i consider talking to a district attorney? if so, should i hire a lawyer and bring my parents or would this be better to do on a personal level with just me and him. i am 18 and just about to graduate high school... so i dont know whether me meeting the DA would show him i care or show him im an idiot.

if i should meet with the DA, how do i find out..erm.. who he is, and how do i contact him?

 

[sukharev]

You can talk to DA informally, although I doubt it will accomplish much. Doing it yourself will show that you do take responsibility for your actions, and a lawyer may be the best solution. Find one in yellow pages (look for the ads about traffic matters), ask for a free consultation. Fees range from $200 to $500, but it's well worth it if you do find a good one and feel comfortable with him. He will also advise on traffic school. Good luck.

 

[lwpat]

Usually an attorney can get this reduced to a speeding ticket. It needs to be for less than 20 over since that is still 6 points and a hefty insurance increase. Fines usually are around 500. You might want to take the voluntary 5 online safe driver school before you go to court and get a certifed copy of your driving record. If you are in school or fixing to go to school a copy of your school info might help. Another good idea is to renew your insurance for a full year before this hits your record.