Hampton Reckless Driving Lawyer

Reckless driving is a very serious offense in Hampton and throughout the rest of Virginia. It can be issued for speeding, in addition to other types of driving behaviors that qualify as reckless driving. For example, general reckless driving can encompass any kind of reckless behavior that endangers life, limb or property, regardless of how fast the driver was going. A Hampton reckless driving lawyer can absolutely help with reckless driving charges by preparing you to be in the best possible situation. For more information on what can be done for your case, call and schedule a consultation with a Virginia reckless driving lawyer today.

Reckless Driving Charges in Hampton

In Virginia, reckless driving encompasses a variety of different moving violations. The most common type of reckless driving is by speed, which means 80 miles/hour or more in any speed limit or 20 miles/hour or more over the posted speed limit. However, in addition to speed, anyone who is operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner that endangers life, limb or property, or recklessly operating a motor vehicle at an excessive speed can be charged.

Some examples of what this mean include: passing a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading passengers, passing an emergency vehicle with its lights on, drag racing, driving too fast for current weather conditions or driving with faulty brakes.

There is also general reckless driving which is a catch-all category that police officers can charge someone with for a wide manner of various behaviors as long as they can prove that the driver was driving in a manner to endanger life, limb or property. People are often issued a general reckless when they do something that didn’t make the officer very happy or in cases of an accident. Some police departments require the officer to charge somebody if there has been an accident.

Reckless Driving v. Speeding Tickets

Reckless driving is different from a speeding ticket because, while there is such a thing as reckless driving due to excessive speed, there are also various other types of reckless driving, such as passing an emergency vehicle with lights on. If you get to a speed of over 19 miles/hour or more, then speeding changes from a traffic infraction into a class 1 misdemeanor of reckless driving by excessive speed. But reckless driving alone is not just speed related.

How To Tell If Your Ticket is For Reckless Driving

It is possible to know whether you were charged with reckless driving or just a speeding ticket by looking at the document that the police officer asked you to sign when he pulled you over. The document should specify whether your speed was reckless or just speeding. If it doesn’t say and it just shows how fast you were going, then underneath where the charge is specified, there is a box that will be checked or unchecked depending on whether you are required to go to court. As reckless driving is a jailable criminal charge, it is mandatory for you to go to court if you have been charged for reckless driving. In contrast, it is possible to plead guilty for a speeding ticket online, and accepting the consequences.

Reckless Driving Penalties in Hampton

Reckless driving is a criminal charge of a Class 1 Misdemeanor which means that it is punishable by a fine of up to $2500, a license suspension for up to 6 months and jail time of up to 12 months. Additionally, it also can affect your driving record by giving you 6 demerit points which will remain on your license for two years. The reckless driving conviction will remain on your record for 11 years. The faster you were going the worse the penalties tend to be. Courts rarely give out the maximum penalty for reckless driving. A Hampton reckless driving lawyer can explain what you can expect for your fact-specific case.

A Hampton Reckless Driving Lawyer Can Help

The role of an attorney in a reckless driving case, is to present evidence that puts the incident in the best way possible and potentially shed reasonable doubt on the allegations by the police officer. An attorney can help you, not only in court, but also beforehand, since they can recommend you to do different things like take a driver improvement class, do community service or having your speedometer calibrated. These options are not going to be perfect for every situation, but a good attorney can tell you when it can make a difference