Dinwiddie

Dinwiddie, VA Reckless Driving Lawyer Can Help With Speeding Tickets

Dinwiddie, VA reckless driving lawyer

What is Dinwiddie, VA Reckless Driving? 

What is Dinwiddie reckless driving and do you need a lawyer? Reckless driving by speed is not speeding. There is a HUGE difference. Reckless driving is a class 1 criminal misdemeanor. It is defined as driving in excess of 85 mph. Interstate highway 85 runs right through Dinwiddie, VA. Many motorists drive between 10-20 mph over the speed limit. Sometimes they drive 5 mph over but speed up to pass. If you drive OVER 85 mph, even in a 70 mph zone, you are committing a class 1 criminal misdemeanor that is punished as follows: 

  • criminal misdemeanor, and if you are found guilty you have a permanent criminal record
  • fine up to $2500
  • license suspension up to 6 months
  • jail sentence up to one year (they realistically do not give jail in Dinwiddie until you hit the higher speeds)
  • insurance premium increases or insurance companies often drop you from coverage for reckless driving
Yes, driving 86 mph in Virginia is a criminal offense. For this reason, it is important to get your charge reduced. 

Do I Need to Hire a Dinwiddie Reckless Driving Lawyer

Whether you hire a lawyer or not is personal preference. The judge in Dinwiddie County is very good and will sometimes help people even if they don't have a lawyer. Here are some of the pros and cons: 

Pros to hiring a Dinwiddie County traffic attorney: 
  • even for reckless driving in Dinwiddie you USUALLY don't need to appear in court if you hire a lawyer
    • this depends on the speed cited
    • for cases where jail time is on the table, you will have to come to court
  • an experienced traffic attorney in Dinwiddie can USUALLY get the charge reduced
    • depending on the speed, we can sometimes get the charge reduced with no points or insurance increase
  • saves you the time and money of coming to court
  • usually gets a better result than you could get
  • a quality lawyer knows how to prepare the case for court and what information is needed
  • knows what to do, and what not to do
Cons to hiring a traffic attorney: 
  • up front cost of paying a Dinwiddie traffic lawyer
  • if you hire the wrong lawyer, you may be wasting your money
    • generally the maxim is true that you "get what you pay for"
Ultimately, you need to make the decision that is best for you. I always tell people that if a family member came to me asking about a reckless driving ticket in Dinwiddie, I would tell them to get it reduced at all costs if possible. I take too many phone calls from people, even YEARS later, who are experiencing the impact of reckless driving. These consequences are usually: 
  • employment related
    • job offers withdrawn, even ten years after a conviction, due to background check issues
  • insurance related
    • insurance increasing THOUSANDS of dollars or
    • insurance dropping someone from coverage
  • license suspension
    • many states automatically suspend your license for a reckless driving conviction in Virginia (even if VA didn't suspend)
You cannot get this charge expunged, and the conviction is permanent. Whether you go to court yourself or hire someone, do what you can to get it reduced. 

In Virginia, you only have a limited 10 day right to appeal your case. Or you have a 60 day period to file a motion to reopen your case. In my experience, people always regret having a reckless driving charge on their record. If you can get it reduced, then get it reduced.
TALK TO LOCAL DINWIDDIE TRAFFIC SPECIALIST

What is the Cost of a Dinwiddie Reckless Driving Speeding Ticket Fine?

Here is a breakdown of your Dinwiddie reckless driving speeding ticket cost: 

Dinwiddie reckless driving ticket cost: 
  1. fine
    1. the judge sets the fine on the court date
    2. usually the fine depends on the speed the officer said you were going
      1. the fine can also vary based on what the judge reduces your charge to
      2. sometimes the judge will slightly increase the fine, but give you a MUCH better result in court
  2. court costs
    1. the court costs in general district court are normally $61-96 for most cases
  3. lawyer cost
    1. if you hire a lawyer, the range is pretty wide
    2. any attorney fee should be based on the amount of time expected for the case
      1. if the fee is too low, ask yourself if the attorney is spending any time on your case
      2. if the fee is too high, ask yourself if the attorney is going to pay another lawyer to handle the case in court
      3. in either case, low fees for reckless driving are suspect and so are high fees
      4. fees should be commensurate with the difficulty of your case
        1. 86 mph-89 mph in a 70 zone are moderate speed cases for reckless driving
        2. 90-95 mph in a 70 zone are higher speed cases but MOST courts will not consider jail and some judges will reduce 
        3. 95 mph and up and/or 30 mph or more over the speed limit are VERY HIGH and potentially jailable cases; jail, license suspension and higher fines are common
  4. driving record(s) cost
    1. usually $5-20
  5. driving school cost
    1. not recommended in every case
    2. costs $30-100 depending on the course required
  6. speedometer calibration cost
    1. not recommended in every case
    2. usually $50-125

Is Virginia Speeding a Misdemeanor?

Virginia speeding IS a criminal misdemeanor if you were driving OVER 80 mph OR 20 mph or more over the speed limit. Here are some examples of simple speeding that CANNOT be a misdemeanor: 

Regular speeding, not a misdemeanor: 
  • 80 mph in 70 mph zone
  • 74 mph in 55 mph zone
These examples are simple speeding. The law section on your ticket will read 46.2-870 through 46.2-878. There are multiple speeding laws in Virginia. But they will fall into this range. They are traffic infractions and not a criminal misdemeanor. The most the judge could do is set a fine of $250. You would be facing an insurance premium increase and dmv insurance points but it is not a misdemeanor.

Virginia misdemeanor speeding examples: 
  • doing 80 in a 60
    • this is 20 mph or more over the limit, and it is Virginia reckless driving by speed and that is a criminal misdemeanor
  • driving 86 mph in a 70 zone
    • this is driving in EXCESS of 85 mph and it is a criminal misdemeanor
The law section for both of these examples of Virginia reckless driving by speed is 46.2-862. There is only one Virginia reckless speeding law and the code is 46.2-862. It is a criminal misdemeanor and not a traffic infraction. 

Dinwiddie General District Court Information

See the official court website here.

Dinwiddie General District Court Address

P. O. Box 280
Dinwiddie Courthouse
Dinwiddie, VA 23841-0280


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