Reckless Driving in Virginia: Ticket Penalties & Fines

In the state of Virginia, there are different kinds of traffic tickets. One of these traffic tickets is a reckless driving ticket in Virginia. Reckless driving in Virginia law is stated as driving with a speed higher than 80 miles per hour in any state-owned road or driving with a speed higher than the speed limit given on a road by 20 miles per hour. This implies that in accordance with the law of reckless driving in Virginia, if a road in the state of VA has a speed limit of 40 miles per hour and the driver had a speed of 59 miles per hour then the ticket given by an officer will be a normal speed ticket along with the normal punishment and fine if any. If the driver had a speed of 60 miles per hour, then he/

she will be given a reckless driving by speed ticket by an officer.

This is also the case if the speed is more than 80 miles per hour in any road in the state of Virginia as long as its state-owned. Finding a lawyer or attorney who has substantial experience in such cases will lead to a higher the chance that the driver walks free of the charge or minimizes the punishment by proving that the charge should be a normal speeding ticket.

In accordance to the law of reckless driving in Virginia, a reckless driving ticket in Virginia can be fought in several ways. These may include but are not limited to the following:

• The lawyer or attorney whose client is the driver who is charged with the reckless driving ticket in Virginia proves that the vehicle’s speedometer of the convicted person was broken before or at the time of the offense. This proof might be shown by assigning a legitimate mechanic to show the judge assigned to the case that the speedometer was indeed broken at or before the incident happened. The judge must make sure that the mechanic assigned is licensed to verify and legitimate the proof;

• The lawyer or attorney whose client is the driver who is charged with the reckless driving ticket in Virginia proves that the speed device used by the officer who caught the convicted driver was malfunctioning at the time of the offense. This proof is usually shown by providing the court of law proof that the device was not checked at regular intervals or at the last interval which should be less than six months before the day of the offense. The lawyer can also defend his/ her client if the proof given that shows that the device was checked is not the original copy of the check paper or if the person performing the check was not licensed by law;

• The lawyer or attorney whose client is the driver charged with a reckless driving by speed ticket proves that the officer who caught the driver did not state the correct location of the offense or mistook the location of the offense when he/ she stated it or recorded it. Such mistake by the official might lead to the court of law dismissing the case. Such mistakes occur when the location is between two locations and the officer states the wrong one between the two;

As per the laws of reckless driving in Virginia, a reckless driving by speed ticket will lead to certain reckless driving penalties in Virginia as well as fines if the driver is found guilty. A reckless driving by speed ticket in the state of Virginia is recognized as a class A or class one misdemeanor reckless driving penalty. This implies that reckless driving by speed ticket holder will receive the following penalties and fines:

• The convicted driver will be penalized with jail time for a maximum of 12 months as a reckless driving penalty in Virginia;

• The convicted driver will be fined with a maximum of $2,500 if found guilty as a reckless driving penalty in Virginia.

At the will of the judge, the driver might be either penalized and/or fined and not the both together.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Atchuthan Sriskandarajah
Mr. Sris has defended numerous clients charged reckless driving in Virginia. He is a former prosecutor and has over 20 years of experience.

Copyright SRIS Law Group, P.C.



Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication at the time it was written. It is not intended to provide legal advice or suggest a guaranteed outcome as individual situations will differ and the law may have changed since publication. Readers considering legal action should consult with an experienced lawyer to understand current laws and.how they may affect a case. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.