Okay...basically I got pulled over for going 85 in a 60. Got a "summons" reckless driving and a mandatory court appearance on the way to the beach in NC(I now have to go 5hrs away for court). The next day I got letters in the mail from local lawyers in VA offering their services to save me from big trouble. My only prior ticket was a 10 over that I got probation for judgement over 2yrs ago. Technically do I have a clean record now? I learned my lesson with this incident but really am trying to spend as little as possible. I am in college and pay everything myself and don't have money to waste. My main question is, do I really need to hire a lawyer for this? What does this normally cost? Please help! I am in deperate need of your experience!

85 in a 60 is reckless driving? im assuming it was a freeway, and just like my tickets, you were going the flow of traffic(or a little faster) and got picked off cause your car was the nicest one the cop saw with the youngest driver.

reckless driving is gonna cost, so yeah, id think about seeing what a lawyer can do for you. maybe even get the fine dropped to speeding.

I think 25 and over is considered reckless driving. I know by insurance company standards tickets dont go "away" for 3 years.

Almost off topic, but my buddy just got a $1000 speeding ticket for 60 in a 35.

jonseclipsegs said:

Okay...basically I got pulled over for going 85 in a 60. Got a "summons" reckless driving and a mandatory court appearance on the way to the beach in NC(I now have to go 5hrs away for court). The next day I got letters in the mail from local lawyers in VA offering their services to save me from big trouble. My only prior ticket was a 10 over that I got probation for judgement over 2yrs ago. Technically do I have a clean record now? I learned my lesson with this incident but really am trying to spend as little as possible. I am in college and pay everything myself and don't have money to waste. My main question is, do I really need to hire a lawyer for this? What does this normally cost? Please help! I am in deperate need of your experience!

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All a lawyer will do in this case is maybe just maybe get it dropped to 18 MPH over speed limit. But that is not a guarentee. You were under 90 MPH, you dont have to worry about jail time or license suspension. I got nailed for doing 97/50 months ago and just had my court date a couple weeks ago. I spent $800 in a lawyer, took driver improvement course, aggressive driving course ahead of time, went into court with a +2 driving record and I got 1 year probation, $250 fine, and a 90 day restricted license. Trust me, just go into court on the day given, tell the judge its your first reckless and what can be affected by it and the judge might drop it to speeding. A lawyer and all that is going to cost you so much and might or might not do you any good. Just learn your lesson and control your speed, even if the flow of traffic is doing reckless. Youll be fine

Regards

In VA, 20 miles over the limit or anything 80 and above are considered wreckless driving. It really depends on where you got the ticket to determine if you need a lawyer. In norfolk and newport news, they will suspend your license for 30 days on wreckless driving. In richmond and chesterfield, they will offer you defensive driving and a reduced charge. Let us know where you got the ticket and we will try to help. Unfortunately, where ever it is, the judge might make an example out of you because you are from out of state.

I got it in Chespeak and I am worried about being out of state most of all, and the judge making a point to out of state drivers.

my brother got a wreckless driving ticket in va when he was doin some work down there for autozone (dulles area). his license were suspened in the state of va on the spot for 30 days and pay a fine (forget the amount) so if you plan on coming home take someone with you so you can make it home.

and as far as the young kid in a good looking car goes he got a ticket for spinning his tires which the cop didnt see him do and he had his traction control on. oh yea he drove a 2000 ss and he was 19.

GET A LAWYER. I got nabbed for the same thing 90 in a 55. I went to court the first time without a lawyer and the judge postponed it telling me it would be in my best interest to get a lawyer. I was really hoping that the cop wouldn't show up, was I wrong there must have been 50 people there with speeding tickets. I got a lawyer and still did a weekend in jail. They just want you to pay. If you get a lawyer it at least shows you care. The judge will may take his fees into consideration when giving you the fine.

97ClipseDSM said:

All a lawyer will do in this case is maybe just maybe get it dropped to 18 MPH over speed limit. But that is not a guarentee. You were under 90 MPH, you dont have to worry about jail time or license suspension. I got nailed for doing 97/50 months ago and just had my court date a couple weeks ago. I spent $800 in a lawyer, took driver improvement course, aggressive driving course ahead of time, went into court with a +2 driving record and I got 1 year probation, $250 fine, and a 90 day restricted license. Trust me, just go into court on the day given, tell the judge its your first reckless and what can be affected by it and the judge might drop it to speeding. A lawyer and all that is going to cost you so much and might or might not do you any good. Just learn your lesson and control your speed, even if the flow of traffic is doing reckless. Youll be fine

Regards

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Wrong. I got caught in NC doing 82 in a 65 and they suspended my license for a year in that state (this was before state to state communication on these type of things).

Get a local lawyer, go to driving school before the court date and then hope that you can get the charges reduced.

i agree with 97clipsedsm...i got a wreckless driving ticket in illinois for going 78mph in a 30mph zone and got arrested on site, so its a little different but this is what i had to pay: i got a traffic lawyer and paid him $1,500 to get it dropped to 15 over, which i had to pay the court the price of 15 over and take a suspended license class for free although they werent suspended and since i passed it everything it will go away with time just not for sure how long. otherwise i wouldve lost my license for a year and see 12 days in jail. (i have had several other tickets) so just an idea of what you are getting into..hope this helps

Does anyone have a good recomendation for a good lawyer around the area of Chesapeak, VA, to contest a reckless driving charge. I am out of state and have no idea which lawyer can do the most for me. I would greatly appreciate any help. Thanks.

92awddsm said:

In VA, 20 miles over the limit or anything 80 and above are considered wreckless driving. It really depends on where you got the ticket to determine if you need a lawyer. In norfolk and newport news, they will suspend your license for 30 days on wreckless driving. In richmond and chesterfield, they will offer you defensive driving and a reduced charge. Let us know where you got the ticket and we will try to help. Unfortunately, where ever it is, the judge might make an example out of you because you are from out of state.

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Since it was Chesepeak, I highly suggest getting a lawyer that is local to the area. It will probably cost $5-750 but it will be worth it. I had a clean record and lost my license there for 30 days and I was only doing 77 in a 55 which was on the highway. It will probably be worse for you since you are from out of state.

Chesapeake isn't that bad, just be lucky it wasn't in Va Beach, then you would def. be in jail for the weekend. I really don't see any justification for a lawyer. They won't be able to do anything for you that you can't do yourself. Just tell the judge the truth and let him know about your driving record and you should get off with a fine and maybe probation and a suspended lic. Good luck, I take it they got you on 64? Probably around the Greenbriar area. There are always troopers in the middle stretch there.

rjclagett said:

Chesapeake isn't that bad, just be lucky it wasn't in Va Beach, then you would def. be in jail for the weekend. I really don't see any justification for a lawyer. They won't be able to do anything for you that you can't do yourself. Just tell the judge the truth and let him know about your driving record and you should get off with a fine and maybe probation and a suspended lic. Good luck, I take it they got you on 64? Probably around the Greenbriar area. There are always troopers in the middle stretch there.

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Yes, that was the exact place. I am caught between getting a lawyer or not. I realise that I have no real justification for going that speed so a lawyer can't really do much more than I can myself but I want the best chance possible to get the charge reduced.

I recently got a ticket going 82 in a 65, which was considered reckless, because anything over 80 mph, or 20 over the speed limit is considered reckless endangerment in VA. I got a lawyer, because I did not want my insurance to drop me. I got the ticket reduced to speeding, and I also have to do a weekend class with the DMV. My lawyer was only 350 dollars, and the ticket ended up costing about 250 plus the 75 for the class. I would recomend getting a lawyer, you will have a better chance at getting the ticket at least reduced which would mean less points on your license, and less of a hike on your insurance for only a couple hundred dollars more.

jonseclipsegs said:

Yes, that was the exact place. I am caught between getting a lawyer or not. I realise that I have no real justification for going that speed so a lawyer can't really do much more than I can myself but I want the best chance possible to get the charge reduced.

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Pay for a lawyer now or really pay later.

Judges care more about what comes out of a lawyers mouth than what comes out of yours...why, they are all former lawyers. Your word against the cops word and your going to loose. Your lawyer should speak to the county prosecutor which most of the time they are on a first name basis with and will get it reduced to something that won't have your license suspended or have you in jail.

ALSO, take a driving class BEFORE you show up for court. Judges give people who do that a LOT of credit usually and will substantially reduce your sentence.