About a month ago, I got a reckless driving ticket (46.2-862) here in VA. I was heading to South Carolina to meetup with a friend of mine who just arrived from Baghdad. I was doing 85 mph on a 65 mph highway, which automatically translates into reckless driving for two reasons. One, I was doing 20 mph above the speed limit. Two, I was above 80 mph. Anyway, I knew it was a big deal, cause my buddy Adam had told me about it multiple times, and yet I managed to get one. I figured I should look online and see what’s so scary about this reckless driving thing.
What I’ve learned online was shocking and really scared me. This whole thing with the reckless driving being a class one misdemeanor, really bothered me for two straight weeks. Apparently, a reckless driving ticket in VA means, a class one misdemeanor which is a permanent criminal record and six points on my driving record. It also means that I have to disclose it every time I apply for a job, or deal with the immigration office or even the insurance company, so that made me take it very very seriously. After reading online for days, I decided to get a lawyer from a place close to the court where I was suppose to go for a trial. I found one online, with one positive review and that was good enough for me. I called him and explained the situation, then he asked me a few questions about my driving record and whether I had any other speeding or reckless driving tickets. After talking to the lawyer for ten minutes or so, I decided to hire him.
Today was my trial day, and the lawyer was able to reduce the charge to improper driving (46.2-869), which was an excellent outcome, since it translates into 3 points instead of 6 and no criminal record. The lawyer charged me $350, which I paid upfront when I hired him over the phone, and the court fee was $71 plus $200 for the reduced ticket itself. Now to me, paying $621 to make a criminal record go away, is a pretty sweet deal.
So here’s my advise to you, if you got a reckless driving ticket, don’t ignore it, and don’t act like its not a big deal because it is. Don’t cheap out and get a lawyer, a good lawyer will save your ass like he saved mine, plus you won’t have to show up in court, which was a major inconvenience in my case since my court was four hours away from where I live.
I hope you found this information helpful, and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions..