Types of Mecklenburg Traffic Offenses
Traffic offenses are penalized seriously in Mecklenburg, as they often put people at risk on the road, leading to negligent actions. In order to deter these cases, law enforcement heavily prosecutes every type of traffic offense in Mecklenburg. The most common levels of traffic offenses in Mecklenburg are an infraction and misdemeanor and felonies. If you have been issued any of these charges, it is important to combat them early on with a strong defense to mitigate potential penalties. A skilled traffic defense lawyer in Mecklenburg can help with your case today.
Infractions
The most common simple misdemeanor traffic charge is going to be an infraction. A traffic infraction is going to come up on a person’s driving record, if a person gets convicted of regular speeding, that will come up on their DMV record for a certain number of years, but if a person gets convicted of a misdemeanor reckless driving, for instance, they are not only going to have that come up on their driving record for a certain number of years but that will come up as a Virginia criminal conviction on their criminal record for forever.
Speeding offenses, most frequently seen in Mecklenburg, are issued for speeding one to nine miles over or at the lowest level of speeding and it goes from there all the way up to 19 or over. That still constitutes an infraction. Traffic infractions cases are heard in Mecklenburg General District Court.
Potential Penalties
The most immediate penalty is going to be the costs and fines assessed by the court and those are going to be determined by the speed that the person is convicted of going. There are also traffic infractions that aren’t related to speed, but the most immediate consequences are going to be the cost and fines that are set by the court, that the further-reaching consequences are going to be insurance implications and implications through the DMV and what number of points are already on a person’s record and they can reach the level or that would trigger any type of penalty from an administrative standpoint by the DMV.
Misdemeanors
The most frequent traffic misdemeanor is reckless driving and that is 20 miles over the speed limit in Mecklenburg or anything over 80 miles an hour. In Mecklenburg, it does have a section of the interstate where the speed limit ranges from 60 to 70 depending on whether a person is on a work zone. Hypothetically and frequently, these can be only 11 miles over the speed limit if a person is going 81 on a 71 mile an hour, they are going to be charged with misdemeanor reckless driving in Mecklenburg.
Speed is the most common factor that could elevate a Mecklenburg offense from an infraction to a misdemeanor because it is 19 miles over the speed limit in which a person is still on infraction, but once they hit 20, it is a misdemeanor. Reckless driving is a common speed related misdemeanor.
Penalties for these types of Mecklenburg traffic offenses range from costs, fines, insurance consequences, DMV consequences, from convictions on a person’s criminal record, and/or jail time.
Appealing Charges
If a person is convicted of a traffic infraction in Mecklenburg General District Court, they have to appeal that conviction within 10 days by going to the Mecklenburg General District Court’s office and appealing the case to the circuit court. A person would go to to appeal their traffic misdemeanor as well to be heard again in the Mecklenburg circuit court. All types of Mecklenburg traffic offenses may require the assistance of an experienced traffic attorney.