There are many kinds of traffic tickets that you could face in Virginia, but one of the more common is a reckless driving citation. When you’re accused of reckless driving, the officer is saying that you were speeding or driving in a reckless way that was putting others or yourself at risk, such as weaving in and out of traffic dangerously.
A reckless driving citation is possible if you were speeding over 80 mph or if you were going more than 20 mph over the speed limit. Other situations might result in this ticket as well.
What should you know about a reckless driving citation?
To start with, you should know that a reckless driving charge may be penalized with a Class I misdemeanor. This comes with the potential for a $2,500 fine, a license suspension that could last up to six months and up to a year in jail.
You could be accused of reckless driving if you are traveling in any manner that puts yourself or others at risk. This is allowed irrespective of the maximum speeds permitted on any roadway, so you don’t necessarily have to be speeding to be accused of reckless driving behaviors.
What should you do if you’re accused of reckless driving in Virginia?
Since reckless driving does potentially come with serious penalties, you shouldn’t just treat the citation as a normal speeding or traffic ticket. It’s going to be important for you to put together a defense because lacking a defense could mean that you’ll be convicted and end up spending time in jail for the offense.
What you should remember is that making driving errors and driving recklessly may appear similar. Additionally, speeding too quickly could lead to this charge, but there is a potential that showing your speed was just a few mph lower could help you avoid these harsh penalties.
You deserve an opportunity to protect yourself and are given that right by law. It’s valuable to look into your options for a defense, so you can try to avoid a reckless driving conviction and fight back against unfair penalties and sentencing.
