OT: Reckless Driving In Virginia

[NJHusky]

It's a money making racket in VA. Nothing more than that. Same in Maryland.

My point is to contact the DA now and offer to plead to 79. Or call a local lawyer to have them do that for you.

yup

 

[Richmondhsky]

Looking for some advice- I was recently passing through Virginia on vacation, when I was pulled over right before the North Carolina border on I-95.

I was given a ticket for 81 in a 70 and I didn’t think anything of it. I recently started getting a million letters sent from VA traffic lawyers and then realized it was a reckless driving ticket and what ramifications it carried.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them and if so what is the best course of action. I don’t have the ability to get back down there for the court date. Should I hire a traffic lawyer, is there a public defender? I’ve never had a ticket before this.

Happened to my son. Definitely hire a lawyer don’t mess with reckless driving. It cost me $500 or so and it was reduced,had to go to driving school.

 

[Ctedgeman]

I've lived in Charlottesville for about a decade now and never knew over 10mph was considered reckless driving. I've only ever driven to NC maybe twice for bobcats/hornets games to see kemba play, but I've driven back up to CT many times. I generally keep it within 10 most of the time now that I think about it. Sorry so many of you have had to deal with that. Hopefully it doesn't sour your thoughts on Virginia. It's a pretty swell place in my opinion.

 

[Hotsauce3087]

Thanks to everyone for responding. I contested the ticket in court. The charge was reduced to “defective equipment” (since I had a clean driving record) and I had to pay $190 fine.

 

[ZenConn]

Great news.

 

[CL82]

Thanks to everyone for responding. I contested the ticket in court. The charge was reduced to “defective equipment” (since I had a clean driving record) and I had to pay $190 fine.

Did you do it, or did you hire a local atty?

 

[David 76]

My son too. Seems like quite the cottage industry.
Got a local lawyer, Son paid about $300 in fees and fines. Dropped to the lowest possible infraction, no insurance consequence, no classes. I paid the lawyer

 

[Hotsauce3087]

I got a ton of quotes from traffic lawyers and some of them are ludicrous $600+ and they make no promises on an outcome.

I hired a local traffic lawyer, who was located in the same county for around $150 and he promised to get it reduced to this charge if I sent him evidence of my clean driving record. Which worked out.

End of the day I contributed $340 to the state of Virginia. They have quite the racket going.

 

[formerlurker]

I blame the Illuminati.

Speeding Ticket(s) in Italy

 

[RF79]

My family has been traveling to the south via 95S since I was a kid. We all know that once you get to Virginia you DO THE SPEED LIMIT. We make up for loss time in the Carolinas.

 

[soxfan23]

Looking for some advice- I was recently passing through Virginia on vacation, when I was pulled over right before the North Carolina border on I-95.

I was given a ticket for 81 in a 70 and I didn’t think anything of it. I recently started getting a million letters sent from VA traffic lawyers and then realized it was a reckless driving ticket and what ramifications it carried.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them and if so what is the best course of action. I don’t have the ability to get back down there for the court date. Should I hire a traffic lawyer, is there a public defender? I’ve never had a ticket before this.

You HAVE TO show up for the court date! If you do not show, there is a good chance that a bench warrant will be issued for you. I am not sure if they would extradite you on a bench warrant, but if you got pulled over again in Virginia you will 1000% be headed to jail on a failure to appear bench warrant. Just call the court house and explain your situation, see what they say.

 

[temery]

Worse than that. My nephew has a buddy that IS a trooper and the Va trooper wrote him a ticket.

Unless a driver knows a cop who knows the cop who pulled him over, AND they're friends, it's a big mistake to play the, "I know a trooper" card.

You are more likely to get a pass if you are a cop in a neighboring community, so you'd be in the position to help him in a similar circumstances.

 

[Chief00]

The Charleston Tourney thread literally went on a tangent discussing 81 and 95 being speed traps by NC/VA border.

Only got pulled over once on VA. It was near Va Beach / Norfolk border on Christmas Day 1995. Had driven over 200 miles from Pennsylvania and had 10 miles to go.
Was young and racing with some other cars on highway. Some lights came up from behind me.
Said he clocked me doing 108 in a 55. Got pulled out of car and got a royal ass chewing and a stern warning.
Guess I learned my lesson.

Back then they had more discretion. I liked the old style approach of chew you out and let you go for first time offense.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

I've been in va for 13 years now (Richmond) and never gotten a ticket, my wife has gotten several though. She plead guilty paid the fine, took a course and I'm that was that. Maybe get a lawyer so you don't have to drive back down. They are like that on the va highways. Any time I drive out of town I show down when I hit va, and I always stay under 10 over the limit. Also I watch ahead traffic like a hawk for brake lights.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

i cant drive 55

 

[uconndoit]

I blame the Illuminati.

Speeding Ticket(s) in Italy

I hit 260 km/h in a 120 (160 mph in a 75) on the highway in Portugal.

I'm glad I didn't get pulled over for that one!

 

[ZenConn]

i cant drive 55

 

[Taco]

My wife got a ticket in Hopewell while we were on vacation. On our return, we had about 20 letters from attorneys. Anything over 80 is reckless driving- not simple speeding. We shopped around got the cheapest one ($200) & contested it.
Was told that dhe technically would have had a criminals record & likely our insurance would be affected.

It's an industry down there!

 

[B1GEast]

I got a camera ticket in MD. They send me stuff all the time. It goes in the trash. If I ever get stopped in DC, or MD, and I'm asked about that ticket, my strategy will be to play dumb. Problem solved

 

[uconndoit]

I got 2 tickets in the same town in upstate NY - Friendlyville or something like that - one on my way north and one coming back through. I was living overseas and by the time I received them they were already past due. That was in 1993. About 10 years later I lived in NYC for 5 years - those tickets never came up again.

 

[dennismenace]

i cant drive 55

 

[Huskycvma]

Looking for some advice- I was recently passing through Virginia on vacation, when I was pulled over right before the North Carolina border on I-95.

I was given a ticket for 81 in a 70 and I didn’t think anything of it. I recently started getting a million letters sent from VA traffic lawyers and then realized it was a reckless driving ticket and what ramifications it carried.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them and if so what is the best course of action. I don’t have the ability to get back down there for the court date. Should I hire a traffic lawyer, is there a public defender? I’ve never had a ticket before this.

This exact same thing happened to me about a year and a half ago I went and got a Virginia lawyer I literally looked him up online I have a clean driving record in Connecticut they will make you produce a copy of that and if it is clean it’ll be knocked down to some number but not reckless driving the whole thing cost me about $1000