Receiving a ticket for Alexandria reckless driving can be quite scary. The ticket says that you have to come to court and that you are charged with reckless driving. When you get back home, you probably start looking up what exactly that means. The Internet is littered with information saying that you’re going to go to jail, that it’s a class 1 misdemeanor, and that the fine could be anything up to $2,500.
What do you do?
Don’t call all the lawyers that you find on the Internet. Simply calling through a list of people who advertise for Alexandria reckless driving defense is going to get you the same conflicting information. You’re going to have all sorts of people trying to scare you into hiring them and trying to convince you that you’re going to go to jail so you need to hire an attorney to keep you free.
Instead, I recommend downloading my free book about Virginia reckless driving defense. It will give you some great insight into the type of charge you’re facing, what you’re looking at, what possible defenses you might have. And, if you decide to go that route, how to hire an attorney. The book is free. There is no commitment and you can download it instantly at the bottom of this page.
What is reckless driving in Alexandria?
Reckless driving, as I mentioned above, is a class I misdemeanor. Now this doesn’t mean that you’re actually going to be found guilty of the misdemeanor violation, but that is what you are charged with. Technically speaking, the maximum punishment for a class I misdemeanor includes jail up to one year and a fine of up to $2,500. For reckless driving, you can also have your license suspended for up to six months. It’s quite rare to get maxed out on all the punishments. However, some few cases do get jail time, depending on the facts of the case. I don’t say that to scare you, but to educate you about what you’re facing.
What defenses can I use for reckless driving cases in Alexandria?
The Commonwealth has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were in fact reckless driving in Alexandria. Every piece of the case provides a possible defense for your legal strategy. For example, if you’re charged with reckless driving by speed, they have to prove that the officer’s equipment was calibrated and accurate according to law. Chapter 3 of my book will go into detail on what that exactly means and how you might be able to challenge the calibration of a radar or laser gun.
Also, if you’re charged with reckless driving general rule under 46.2-852, they have to prove that you were driving on a highway. Now, that’s not a term that means an interstate highway, but it does mean that the road has to be open for public travel. In some cases, if you’re in a parking lot for example, that might not be considered a highway by the court and you might have a defense to win the case based on that legal argument. In Chapter 3 we’ll also go into an issue like that. There’s lot of other great defenses to learn about in Chapter 3.
What other outcomes might be possible in my case?
Even if there isn’t a solid defense for your Alexandria reckless driving ticket, there may be a way to negotiate the case to a lesser offense with the prosecutor and/or the judge. Judges have quite a bit of latitude in reckless driving cases, and Chapter 5 will explain what kind of different outcomes might be possible.
This will depend upon the local court and judge. My book is written to focus more on Virginia as a whole, and it’s hard to talk about all those nuances of every different locality in the Commonwealth. This is one area where you may want to think about consulting with a local, experienced Alexandria reckless driving lawyer to find out more about what exactly could happen in your case. But the book will give you some great ideas about the types of outcomes that could be possible so you can ask those questions of the attorneys that you consult with.
Can I appeal my Alexandria reckless driving ticket?
Absolutely. Chapter 7 will give you great information about what to do if your case goes wrong in Alexandria General District Court. You have up to ten days after your first court date to appeal the case to have a brand new hearing in the Circuit Court with a different judge. This basically gives you a second bite at the apple. Chapter 7 will tell you exactly how that works and how to make an appeal if that’s what you’d like to do.
Do I need an Alexandria reckless driving lawyer?
That’s a hard question to answer, but it’s something that you definitely should look into if you’re faced with reckless driving in Alexandria. Chapter 8 of my book will give you some great questions to ask an attorney if you are looking at hiring someone for your Alexandria case. One of the most important questions, in my opinion, is on Page 49 where it says ways to ask the attorney if they ever have other attorneys handle their cases for them.
You might be surprised at how some attorneys farm their cases out and even sell their cases off to other attorneys. Tt’s one thing to get a referral fee for connecting a client with a new attorney, but that’s all transparent and the client knows what’s going on. But scarily, some attorneys just get hired onto a case, charge the client whatever money they are going to charge and then send somebody completely different to court for the client. In my opinion, that’s not in the client’s best interest, and I think that is highly deceptive. You want to know if attorneys are going to do that because you should know who is going to be standing there with you at court.
What are you waiting for? The book is free. You can get it by downloading it below. Fill out the brief form and we’ll email you a copy instantly. You have nothing to lose!
photo credit: Omar Omar