Are you charged with a reckless driving ticket in Virginia?
Virginia’s law enforcement authorities deal with reckless driving very strictly. It is vital to understand the elements of reckless driving and their respective penalties in Virginia to avoid its negative impacts on your life. Reckless driving in Virginia is considered as a major criminal offense where the guilty individuals can even suffer the charges of imprisonment. The following codes in Virginia section 46.2 strictly forbid the drivers from carelessly driving on the highways of Virginia.
Reckless driving by speeding (Virginia code 46.2 – 862):
According to the Virginia code 46.2 – 862, a driver is strictly prohibited to drive above the speed of 80 miles per hour regardless of the stated speed. The code restricts the drivers from exceeding the speed limit even by 20 miles per hour.
General Reckless driving (Virginia code 46.2 – 852):
There are almost 14 reckless driving acts which are penalized by the Virginia legislators. Va reckless driving ticket is given to a driver if he is found driving in a careless manner which can potentially damage a property or endanger the life of any person. According to the code 46.2 – 852, reckless driving is:
“Irrespective of the maximum speeds permitted by law, any person who drives a vehicle on any highway recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person shall be guilty of reckless driving.”
What are the VA Reckless driving ticket fine and its consequences?
Reckless driving is a serious traffic violation and therefore, it is categorized as a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia. The common penalties for committing a reckless driving, class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia are:
- Suspension of the driving license for a period of maximum 6 months.
- Heavy fines up to $2500 apart from the court’s fees
- Imprisonment for a maximum period of 12 months
- The reckless driving charges will remain there on your driving license for a period of 11 years
- Hiked insurance premium
- If you are imprisoned or your license is suspended, there is a potential chance that you might even lose your current job
How to mitigate VA reckless driving ticket fine?
The reckless driving charges can have a major impact on your personal and professional life. Therefore, you should immediately contact a professional reckless driving attorney to help you mitigate these harsh penalties. It is best that you involve yourself in some community service and complete a driving education course before your hearing. If you are able to convince the judges, they might change your reckless driving charges into improper driving charges.
Improper driving in Virginia (code 46.2 – 869):
If you defend your case properly there are chances that the court might reduce the VA reckless driving ticket fine on the basis of your defensive arguments. The court has the legal right to change your reckless driving ticket to improper driving ticket which carries less severe penalties. According to Virginia’s law 46.2 – 869, improper driving is when the driver is found guilty of not driving properly rather than driving recklessly. In such cases the degree of offense is slight. Improper driving has a fine of not more than $500 and it allots only 2 demerit points.