mstw

Got nailed in Carroll County/I81N (right after clearing North Carolina) for 87/65 on my way home from Atlanta this past Saturday.

Since there were very little cars on the road, I knew he must had saw me, so I began pulling over before he got on the road, and waited. First thing he said was, "sir I appreciate you stopping for me, some lady made me chased this morning."

I nodded, answered a few more questions and handed over my license and the rental document for the van.

He came back with the ticket and advised that if I can't make it to court, given that I live quite a distance away (over 4 hours), send a letter and he'll put in some good words to the judge on court date for my cooperation and good attitude. And said that he really couldnt let me go because 87 is pretty high rate of speed and an automatic reckless in VA.

And I plan on sending the letter to plead guilty along with a copy of my driving record (which was clean for the past 4 years) to ask for reduction in fines and charges.

Any tips/advise for this letter? And what kind of charges/fines am I looking at suppose the judgment is guilty as charged?


Thanks!
Mike W.

CrazyCracker82

no clue on fines. eventhough you were really nice to pull over and the cop will "vouch" for you in court, you still will probably want a lawyer to go on your behalf. you can hire one that will appear for you, so you don't even have to go.

good luck.

dippin

Normally a wreckless ticket is 100$ and i think its either 3 or 6 points on your license! Normally if you show up to court the judge will lower it to just speeding if you have a good driving record! If you dont show up then you get tried in your absence and you have ten days from the court date to pay the wreckless fine or they will suspend your license! Thats all, i wouldnt even spend the money on a lawyer, unless you like thrown it down the toilet. Then you can always go to driving school, or take an online course to get the points taken off your record!

civicguyinva

We should just have a sticky at the top for people who get pulled over to read with basic possible outcomes and answering a lot of these common questions. I thought wreckless in VA could bring jail time....I'd consider a lawyer. 4theheckof_it might pop in and give his usual rundown to help you out on how to handle this.

Oh...I copied this from the web....not sure how accurate it is...

"As stated clearly in the Code of Virginia, the penalty parameters for reckless driving is up to one year in jail, and/or up to $2,500 in fines. Reckless driving also carries the possibility of a suspension of driving privileges for up to 6 months."

vbb

I don't think sending a letter is adequate for a reckless driving ticket, despite what the officer told you. In VA, reckless driving is a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 mos in jail and a $2500 fine, and you'll need to show up to court for that. Sounds like the officer was really a nice guy though, and there's a chance that either the Judge will ultimately drop the ticket down to a simple speeding, or at the very least not hammer you on the fine. If the officer was a REALLY nice guy, I guess he could have only written the ticket for speeding and not reckless... but then again 87mph is way over the limit.

Hiring a lawyer from the area wouldn't hurt, but I wouldn't say it is ABSOLUTELY necessary in this situation. Your best bet is to do a driver improvement class before your trial date, appear in court, and be respectful with the judge, while promising him/her that it won't happen again.

But just to reiterate, I seriously don't think you can just send a letter in lieu of showing up to court.

civicguyinva

strongly

PopTarts

get a lawyer. If you have a relatively clean record, there's a decent chance the judge will lower it to a speeding ticket. My 89 in a 65 was lowered to a speeding ticket and a $270 fine last month.

Honda 367

I was on I76 driving at speed of 78-80mph and the cop hiding didn't do anything. Everyone was driving at that speed. I imagine if the speed went above 85, he might have nabbed someone. Would 80mph be considered reckless?

PopTarts

80mph is technically reckless, even though normally you have to be 20 above the limit.

Technically, not using your turn signal while changing lanes is also a reckless.

4theheckof_it

I'll chime in later about this when I get a chance. vbeachboy has good advice.

Peter