Reckless driving in Virginia
Reckless driving in Virginia is considered a major traffic violation due to which it is different from a speeding ticket in nature. Reckless driving includes all the acts which a deemed to cause potential damage to any living thing or property.
What are the penalties for reckless driving in Virginia?
Reckless driving tickets in Virginia can have a serious impact on your life if you do not defend yourself properly. Often the drivers do not understand how reckless driving is much serious offense than a simple speeding ticket. Reckless driving is treated as a criminal offense in Virginia, where the convicted individual is subjected to many harsh punishments. These punishments include:
- Hefty fines which can lead up to $2500
- Suspension of the driving license of 2 to 6 months period
- Imprisonment for a period of 12 months
- 2 – 6 Negative demerit point(s) in driving record of the driver. This record is maintained by the department of motor vehicle.
- Hiked insurance premium in case of a reckless driving ticket
- The possibility of losing a job due to the suspension of the driving license or imprisonment.
Felony charges
As per Virginia’s code section 46.2 – 868, you have committed a felony if you are convicted of reckless driving in Virginia which has resulted in death any other individual. Class 6 felony can even be applied if you are found driving with a suspended license.
Penalties in case of felony charges:
Felony charges are more serious charges than general reckless driving penalties. If you are convicted of a felony charge in Virginia, you can be imprisoned for one to twenty years. Therefore it is crucial to contact an experienced reckless driving attorney to get rid of Virginia reckless driving fine.
How are reckless driving penalties determined?
Reckless driving offenders are treated harshly by the court of Virginia, however, the punishments are decided considering the following factors:
- The type of reckless driving offense committed by the driver
- Driver’s past record of driving
- The location of the reckless driving offense.
Steps to minimize your penalties for reckless driving in Virginia
Taking proper guided steps in case of a reckless driving ticket can secure your future. If you are handed a reckless driving ticket by a police officer in Virginia you should immediately use reckless driving defense strategies along with your experienced lawyer.
Here are few mitigating tips and factors that you can use to strengthen your case:
- You can challenge your case if the police officer was not witnessing the incident himself
- Use your clean driving record to defend your case. You can obtain the copy of your reckless driving transcript from the department of motor vehicle.
- You can justify your need for speeding with strong and reasonable excuse
- You can justify the technical issue with the radar calibration
- Take a driving education course before to court’s hearing to strengthen your case
- Take part in any of the community services
- Use technical issue with the reading of the speed meter of the vehicle as a reason in court
- Calibrate your speed meter to display your concern regarding the importance of road safety