Chesterfield
Reckless Driving Attorney and Traffic Lawyers in Chesterfield, VA
Need Help with a Chesterfield, VA Reckless Driving or Traffic Ticket?
Leavitt & Martin are specialized traffic lawyers in Chesterfield, Virginia. Our office is in the heart of Midlothian. We specialize in DUI, reckless driving, speeding tickets, accidents, and other traffic violations.
Chesterfield, Virginia reckless driving tickets can impact the following:
- insurance
- rates usually increase $3000-10000 dollars over 3-10 years
- many insurance companies will DROP you from coverage
- cannot rent a car in the future
- employment consequences
- reckless driving is a criminal misdemeanor
- it shows up on criminal background checks
- security clearances
- immigration issues
What is Reckless Driving in Chesterfield and do I Need an Attorney?
Chesterfield, VA reckless driving is defined in Virginia law section 46.2-862. Driving MORE THAN 85 mph is reckless driving OR driving 20 mph or more over the limit is also reckless driving by speed. The range of punishment for Emporia, VA reckless driving is:
- license suspension up to 6 months
- jail time up to 12 months (jail in Emporia is usually reserved for higher speed cases)
- permanent criminal record if you are found guilty
- fine up to $2500
It is not a simple speeding ticket to drive 86 mph OR to drive 20 mph or more over the speed limit in Virginia. Chesterfield has its own unique rules. There are about 5 different courtrooms in Chesterfield General District Court and there are more than 20 different prosecutors. Each judge approaches traffic law different.
Chesterfield is VERY tough at 90 mph and up. Jail time at 90 mph and up is NOT uncommon. In addition, the Chesterfield judges (most of them) are particularly tough about Chippenham parkway. If you are caught speeding on Chippenham then your case is more challenging.
Do You Need an Attorney? Pros and Cons of Hiring a Chesterfield Lawyer
Whether you need a lawyer or not depends on your case and what you are looking to accomplish. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Pros of hiring a lawyer:
- your attorney can try to negotiate a plea agreement with the prosecutor
- prosecutors will not discuss cases with "pro se" litigants or people without a lawyer
- some prosecutors get involved and some don't
- your lawyer will know the ins and outs of traffic court
- many times you will not need to come to court if you have a lawyer
- this depends on your particular case
- your lawyer will know how to prepare your case in a way the judge likes
- better results often flow from knowing how to approach a traffic case
Cons of hiring a lawyer:
- cost
- attorneys are going to bill you for their time
- you may not need an attorney
- some cases do not require an attorney
Every case is completely different. In Chesterfield you always want a lawyer where jail is possible. Typically that means 90 mph or more (jail is on the table as a possible outcome) OR 25 mph or more over the speed limit.
Chesterfield, Virginia Accident Lawyers
There are a lot of accidents in Chesterfield, VA. Many roads in the county are narrow, one lane roads. There are ditches on either side, and if you catch the edge of the road you will go right into the ditch. This can cause your vehicle to flip over and roll over.
In addition, Hull Street/route 360 and the Midlothian Turnpike/route 60, Chippenham Parkway, Powhite Parkway, route 288 and 95 all have a lot of accidents. Around 5pm every day there are several accidents or near accidents at 288 and Hull Street because traffic backs up onto 288. This can cause a lot of problems.
Chesterfield police and the Virginia State Police frequently write tickets for reckless driving generally, fail to maintain control (reckless driving), and following too closely. These accident cases are inherently more serious. Both the judges and the prosecutors in Chesterfield, VA look more closely at Chesterfield County VA accident cases.
Reckless driving generally is charged under Virginia law 46.2-852. Failure to maintain control is Virginia code 46.2-853. These are the most common accident laws in Virginia that the police write tickets for. Many times, there may be a legal defense to your accident case.
If you are involved in a single vehicle accident, it is always best to REMAIN SILENT. The police will always ask you what happened and why you got in an accident but it is almost never helpful to make statements. The police are always looking for a reason to charge you with reckless driving and it doesn't take much.
The "mere happening of an accident" is never reckless driving. So if you make no statements, single vehicle accident cases will ALMOST ALWAYS get dismissed. If you did make statements, and most people do, then it will depend on what you told the police about the cause of the accident.
Virginia Reckless Driving Lawyer
Virginia reckless driving and speeding tickets can have consequences that you don't think about. If you need help with a traffic ticket, contact a Virginia reckless driving lawyer who has helped THOUSANDS of clients. Leavitt & Martin knows what to expect for each case we handle. We serve the following locations:
- Emporia
- Greensville
- Sussex
- Brunswick
- Hopewell
- Petersburg
- Mecklenburg
- Dinwiddie
- Hanover
- Chesterfield
- New Kent
- Henrico
- Richmond
- Prince George
- Amelia
- Colonial Heights
Chesterfield General District Court Information
Address
P. O. Box 144
Chesterfield Courthouse
9500 Courthouse Road
Chesterfield, VA 23832-0144