UPDATE: Virginia Reckless Driving tickets from the summer

[SirStev0]

Both of you are missing the point. I wasn't trying to speed. I usually barely go 5mph over.

I ended up not paying attention. Going 5 mph faster than everyone else on the road to pass a truck and ended up nearly getting a criminal record or jail time. I am not taking that risk again, especially since I will be an out of state driver and a target.

 

[Axoliien]

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: SirStev0

I unfortunately am going to have a hard time avoiding your state, but I promise you that I will NOT be coming back soon, even if it means adding hours on to my trip. I sure that there are some that will say good riddance to me and my quick driving and that is fine. It is your state and if you are comfortable with the laws as they are, more power to you. Thankfully WV is right next door. They have reasonable laws and a 70 mph speed limit.

Good Riddance Virginia.

You know you don't have to avoid Virginia to not get a speeding ticket. You merely have to DRIVE THE GOD DAMNED MOTHER FUCKING SPEED LIMIT!!!

Yah, you're just pissed you got caught and couldn't get out of it. Driving is a responsibility, not a right.

Do you understand that velocity is exponentially more important to safety than the type of vehicle or your driving ability? So how fast do you have to be driving before you consider it reckless? How fast do you have to be driving before you consider it breaking the speed limit? You know the easiest way not to get caught doing something, is not to do it in the first place.

 

[Steve]

You may want to avoid southeast Missouri too:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...did=1409218&arctab=arc

The outcome of that? Six-month suspended sentence (of jail), plus two years of probation (mailing in a form every month plus a fee). On the upside I got the ($1048) bail money refunded after court.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: Gibson486
61 in a 35, I think...even though I was actually going 50 and slowing.....but we will see what will happen.

When is your case?

no idea....I sent the court option in three weeks ago. I have not heard back. I hope they do not pull a "Oh...we never received it...you have to pay".

 

[Steve]

A friend of mine got caught doing 123 in a 45, and convinced the officer to lead him to the airport.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Colt45
So.. 80 in a 65 is as bad as being drunk?

Who thought up that pearl?

In some cases it seems to be worse- up here, a 1st offense DUI is a Class B misdemeanor...no jail time possible.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: SirStev0
Both of you are missing the point. I wasn't trying to speed. I usually barely go 5mph over.

I ended up not paying attention. Going 5 mph faster than everyone else on the road to pass a truck and ended up nearly getting a criminal record or jail time. I am not taking that risk again, especially since I will be an out of state driver and a target.

You said you lucked out? You could have fought it effectively and successfully if you hadn't. You just didn't go about it right. There are lawyers who specialize in stuff like this. My sister got caught for reckless driving in a similar scenario (just over 80). We called a traffic lawyer, he talked to the judge, and it cost $500 but all my sister ended up with was a standard speeding ticket with no reckless driving charges. She never even went to court.

Also, I've lived in VA my entire life and I've done the exact same thing on occaision with no consequences (although, like you, I typically keep the speeding to <=10 mph over). Yes, you were out of state and thus a target. Everyone faces the same crap when driving through almost any other state. Suck it in and drive the speed limit (or a little over) when you're out of state.

Also, going 101 or 98 in a what, 65 mph zone? That's ridiculous and as bad as driving drunk IMO. 30 days in jail is perfectly acceptable. It's not like they sent him/her to super-max.

As for avoiding VA, good. That's one less spiteful driver for me to deal with. I hope you enjoy paying hundreds of dollars for the extra gas you'll need.

 

[schizoid77]

I live in VA. And I have gotten 2 reckless driving tickets. One in the middle of nowhere, and one in Fairfax county.

In Fairfax, I was going 88 in a 55 on the beltway in a "work zone" (which was BS, cuz there was no one around, and hadn't been for months). A state trooper on a chopper got me at 88mph (lucky for me, as I was planning on hitting at least 95 to get past a pack of snails).

I got a lawyer after reading the horror stories of Fairfax county judges. He told me Fairfax judges will not back down from reckless driving regardless of what I do (driving school, speedometer calibration, etc). So he represented me and was told the exact opposite by the prosecutor. So he charged me another $300 for a 2nd appearance after I did both those things. I got the reckless charge and a $500 fine. They wanted to suspend it for 6 months. All in all, cost me about $1500, and I still got the charge.

2nd time I got reckless in VA, was going 78 in a 55. This county cop in the middle of nowhere gave me reckless. Anything 20 over, or anything 80+. I hired ANOTHER lawyer, and he got it dropped to a regular speeding ticket and I didn't have to show. Got lucky on that one, and the lawyer fee was $250.

The speeding laws in VA are absurd (same as a DWI!?!?). It's a money making business and is not in place for public safety. But if you think the state wide laws are bad, don't even THINK about speeding in Fairfax county. Anything over 90 and you're getting jail time.

Oh, and I used to have a clean record. Not I have ~4 points on my license. Driving school gives you -5, so that's what I started at.

We need to change the laws.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: schizoid77
I live in VA. And I have gotten 2 reckless driving tickets. One in the middle of nowhere, and one in Fairfax county.

In Fairfax, I was going 88 in a 55 on the beltway in a "work zone" (which was BS, cuz there was no one around, and hadn't been for months). A state trooper on a chopper got me at 88mph (lucky for me, as I was planning on hitting at least 95 to get past a pack of snails).

I got a lawyer after reading the horror stories of Fairfax county judges. He told me Fairfax judges will not back down from reckless driving regardless of what I do (driving school, speedometer calibration, etc). So he represented me and was told the exact opposite by the prosecutor. So he charged me another $300 for a 2nd appearance after I did both those things. I got the reckless charge and a $500 fine. They wanted to suspend it for 6 months. All in all, cost me about $1500, and I still got the charge.

2nd time I got reckless in VA, was going 78 in a 55. This county cop in the middle of nowhere gave me reckless. Anything 20 over, or anything 80+. I hired ANOTHER lawyer, and he got it dropped to a regular speeding ticket and I didn't have to show. Got lucky on that one, and the lawyer fee was $250.

The speeding laws in VA are absurd (same as a DWI!?!?). It's a money making business and is not in place for public safety. But if you think the state wide laws are bad, don't even THINK about speeding in Fairfax county. Anything over 90 and you're getting jail time.

Oh, and I used to have a clean record. Not I have ~4 points on my license. Driving school gives you -5, so that's what I started at.

We need to change the laws.

I live in Fairfax County. Why would you ever need to go over 80, let alone 90? I can see 70, 75 mph on 66 and 29, and of course the beltway and 95. Anything over that is just unnecessary.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: SirStev0
Both of you are missing the point. I wasn't trying to speed. I usually barely go 5mph over.

I ended up not paying attention. Going 5 mph faster than everyone else on the road to pass a truck and ended up nearly getting a criminal record or jail time. I am not taking that risk again, especially since I will be an out of state driver and a target.

You said you lucked out? You could have fought it effectively and successfully if you hadn't. You just didn't go about it right. There are lawyers who specialize in stuff like this. My sister got caught for reckless driving in a similar scenario (just over 80). We called a traffic lawyer, he talked to the judge, and it cost $500 but all my sister ended up with was a standard speeding ticket with no reckless driving charges. She never even went to court.

Also, I've lived in VA my entire life and I've done the exact same thing on occaision with no consequences (although, like you, I typically keep the speeding to <=10 mph over). Yes, you were out of state and thus a target. Everyone faces the same crap when driving through almost any other state. Suck it in and drive the speed limit (or a little over) when you're out of state.

Also, going 101 or 98 in a what, 65 mph zone? That's ridiculous and as bad as driving drunk IMO. 30 days in jail is perfectly acceptable. It's not like they sent him/her to super-max.

As for not avoiding VA, good. That's one less spiteful driver for me to deal with. I hope you enjoy paying hundreds of dollars for the extra gas you'll need.

It isn't spite, it is common sense. I am not a gambling man and the fact that going 10 mph over in some areas is a criminal offense is a gamble.

I have two choices to get home, Virginia or West Virginia. By adding only about 40 miles to my trip and roughly losing about 20 mins (since the whole time I can drive comfortably at 70mph) I can get home with a considerably lower risk of jail rape.

I have also found that WV is a considerably nicer drive. They really take care of their roads and they have very clean highways. WV is my new favorite state.

 

[lupi]

The speed limits in the state are ridiculously low. I try and drive the hov lanes here whenever they are open to all just so I can use their 65 mph limit.

 

[schizoid77]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: schizoid77
I live in VA. And I have gotten 2 reckless driving tickets. One in the middle of nowhere, and one in Fairfax county.

In Fairfax, I was going 88 in a 55 on the beltway in a "work zone" (which was BS, cuz there was no one around, and hadn't been for months). A state trooper on a chopper got me at 88mph (lucky for me, as I was planning on hitting at least 95 to get past a pack of snails).

I got a lawyer after reading the horror stories of Fairfax county judges. He told me Fairfax judges will not back down from reckless driving regardless of what I do (driving school, speedometer calibration, etc). So he represented me and was told the exact opposite by the prosecutor. So he charged me another $300 for a 2nd appearance after I did both those things. I got the reckless charge and a $500 fine. They wanted to suspend it for 6 months. All in all, cost me about $1500, and I still got the charge.

2nd time I got reckless in VA, was going 78 in a 55. This county cop in the middle of nowhere gave me reckless. Anything 20 over, or anything 80+. I hired ANOTHER lawyer, and he got it dropped to a regular speeding ticket and I didn't have to show. Got lucky on that one, and the lawyer fee was $250.

The speeding laws in VA are absurd (same as a DWI!?!?). It's a money making business and is not in place for public safety. But if you think the state wide laws are bad, don't even THINK about speeding in Fairfax county. Anything over 90 and you're getting jail time.

Oh, and I used to have a clean record. Not I have ~4 points on my license. Driving school gives you -5, so that's what I started at.

We need to change the laws.

I live in Fairfax County. Why would you ever need to go over 80, let alone 90? I can see 70, 75 mph on 66 and 29, and of course the beltway and 95. Anything over that is just unnecessary.

I was not going 90, and I agree, there's no real need to unless you're going to the hospital or something, but to go to JAIL because you're going 10mph faster than every other driver?

 

[schizoid77]

Originally posted by: lupi
The speed limits in the state are ridiculously low. I try and drive the hov lanes here whenever they are open to all just so I can use their 65 mph limit.

This is very true. The speed limits are purposely too low for the road in order to force speeding tickets so the county makes more money.

There's no reason to be limited to 55 on the HIGHWAY. It should be 70-75.

When was the last speed limit increase/decrease? The 70's?

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: schizoid77
I live in VA. And I have gotten 2 reckless driving tickets. One in the middle of nowhere, and one in Fairfax county.

In Fairfax, I was going 88 in a 55 on the beltway in a "work zone" (which was BS, cuz there was no one around, and hadn't been for months). A state trooper on a chopper got me at 88mph (lucky for me, as I was planning on hitting at least 95 to get past a pack of snails).

I got a lawyer after reading the horror stories of Fairfax county judges. He told me Fairfax judges will not back down from reckless driving regardless of what I do (driving school, speedometer calibration, etc). So he represented me and was told the exact opposite by the prosecutor. So he charged me another $300 for a 2nd appearance after I did both those things. I got the reckless charge and a $500 fine. They wanted to suspend it for 6 months. All in all, cost me about $1500, and I still got the charge.

2nd time I got reckless in VA, was going 78 in a 55. This county cop in the middle of nowhere gave me reckless. Anything 20 over, or anything 80+. I hired ANOTHER lawyer, and he got it dropped to a regular speeding ticket and I didn't have to show. Got lucky on that one, and the lawyer fee was $250.

The speeding laws in VA are absurd (same as a DWI!?!?). It's a money making business and is not in place for public safety. But if you think the state wide laws are bad, don't even THINK about speeding in Fairfax county. Anything over 90 and you're getting jail time.

Oh, and I used to have a clean record. Not I have ~4 points on my license. Driving school gives you -5, so that's what I started at.

We need to change the laws.

I live in Fairfax County. Why would you ever need to go over 80, let alone 90? I can see 70, 75 mph on 66 and 29, and of course the beltway and 95. Anything over that is just unnecessary.

Someone's opinion of unnecessary should not equal jail time.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: schizoid77

Originally posted by: lupi
The speed limits in the state are ridiculously low. I try and drive the hov lanes here whenever they are open to all just so I can use their 65 mph limit.

This is very true. The speed limits are purposely too low for the road in order to force speeding tickets so the county makes more money.

There's no reason to be limited to 55 on the HIGHWAY. It should be 70-75.

When was the last speed limit increase/decrease? The 70's?

you should hold your tongue. There is rumours of dropping the speed limit back down to 55 nationwide to "help" gas prices.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
thats just insane ruining someones life for speeding is fucking insane.

Killing someone in a fiery crash because you needed to save 10 minutes is fucking insane

See how that works?

 

[schizoid77]

Yeah, I see fiery crashes every day on the beltway where EVERYone is going at least 75 - 20 over the limit.

And cops themselves going 90+ in the left lane with no lights flashing.

F that. No one dies from speeding, you die from crashing.

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
thats just insane ruining someones life for speeding is fucking insane.

Killing someone in a fiery crash because you needed to save 10 minutes is fucking insane

See how that works?

Yeah and your example would hold more water if people going the speed limit never get into a car crash.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
thats just insane ruining someones life for speeding is fucking insane.

Killing someone in a fiery crash because you needed to save 10 minutes is fucking insane

See how that works?

Crashes happen regardless of speeding or not speeding. I have been on plenty of car wreck scenes as an EMT. Don't think that speeding tickets do anything to make the roads safer.

Believe me, I am not advocating driving 100mph or even 90 mph or even 80 mph. All are verging on unsafe.

I was not cruising along doing 85 mph. I sped up and got caught. I prob deserved a SPEEDING ticket. Did I deserve a criminal charge? No. Thankfully, I was able to get out of it with getting hooked into getting a traffic lawyer.

The thing that bothers me the most is the racket they set up with traffic lawyers. Every Virginia resident I spoke to was shocked that I was thinking about going with out a lawyer.

Aside from DUI/DWI it is unheard of in both states I have lived in to hire a lawyer for a speeding ticket or traffic citation. When I looked into I couldn't believe how many firms in VA were set up for that very purpose. You are getting played.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
thats just insane ruining someones life for speeding is fucking insane.

Killing someone in a fiery crash because you needed to save 10 minutes is fucking insane

See how that works?

Yeah and your example would hold more water if people going the speed limit never get into a car crash.

Im not saying they dont, but they will be less severe. You also have more reaction time at slower speeds. The limits are there for a reason, they save lives.

 

[schizoid77]

The limits are there to make money. The limit was specifically engineered to make people feel like they can go faster and feel safe doing it. And they do, and pockets get fatter due to it.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: schizoid77
The limits are there to make money. The limit was specifically engineered to make people feel like they can go faster and feel safe doing it. And they do, and pockets get fatter due to it.

On I-81 the limits are being strictly enforced due to a huge increase in traffic on what was once a rural interstate which resulted in a steep rise in fatal accidents on that road, many involving 18 wheelers. At certain times as much as 40% of the traffic on I-81 in Virginia is truck traffic but in most places the road is still 2 lanes in each direction. Like it or not lawmakers listen to the voters they represent and they have been getting an earful for years regarding conditions on 81.

I-81 Safety Task Force Report

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: Colt45
So.. 80 in a 65 is as bad as being drunk?

Who thought up that pearl?

A representative who also happens to own a group of law firms specializing in traffic law. I wish I was making this up.

Yep and the bad thing is it did not make the news until after the filling date to run for office. So since he won so easily last time no one ran against him this time and won by default. Mind you a LOT of democrats won seats in VA after ot came out a republican wrote the bill and was backed by the republican party.

I live in Springfield VA.

 

[sjwaste]

I live in Arlington. The opportunity to go 80MPH has never come up within the city limits here 🙂 Going out west on 66 or south on 81, though, it's sometimes wide open and people do speed. It can get dangerous because the 18 wheelers are aggressive on those same stretches, they'll run you off the road.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: Colt45
So.. 80 in a 65 is as bad as being drunk?

Who thought up that pearl?

A representative who also happens to own a group of law firms specializing in traffic law. I wish I was making this up.

Yep and the bad thing is it did not make the news until after the filling date to run for office. So since he won so easily last time no one ran against him this time and won by default. Mind you a LOT of democrats won seats in VA after ot came out a republican wrote the bill and was backed by the republican party.

I live in Springfield VA.

I think you are confusing the now defunct abusive driver fees they somehow thought was one of the keys to raising highway funds. The option to charge reckless driving for anything over 80 has been the law in Virginia as long as I have been driving in Virginia and just to illustrate how long that has been I grew up in Springfield and started driving when Springfield Mall was still covered with trees and Backlick Road was 2 lane 55 MPH south of what is now the Springfield Bypass. It is not something that was dreamed up with those ridiculous Abusive Driver Fees.