Impact of Fairfax Reckless Driving By Speed on CDL Holders

Reckless driving by speed is not considered a less severe form of reckless driving. In Virginia, there are a number of different varieties of reckless driving, including everything from general reckless driving to aggressive driving, racing, or passing a school bus.

Reckless driving by speed is a Class One misdemeanor as those others. It comes with the same potential penalties and impact for a driver but the consequences can be more severe for those who have commercial driving licenses. If an individual faces reckless driving by speed charges and wants to know more about the impact of Fairfax reckless driving by speed on CDL holders, they should consult a reckless driving lawyer that could advocate for them.

What Happens to a Person’s Commercial Driver’s License?

The impact of Fairfax reckless driving by speed on CDL holders can be incredibly serious Someone who holds a commercial driver’s license in the state of Virginia will lose their commercial driver’s license at least for some period of time as a consequence of a reckless driving conviction.

It is not a bar for them asking to get it back at some point in the future, but it will cost them to lose that license in the short-term. For people who rely on their CDL for their livelihood, this can have an unfair and disproportionate impact. For CDL holders more than any other driver, these cases are very serious. The stakes are very high and they have to be handled in the most serious, thorough way.

Treatment of Reckless Driving By CDL Holders in Court

Reckless driving for CDL holders is handled in the same way that every other reckless driving is handled. Some courts and some prosecutors will care that the defendant has a CDL and that they have more on the line than other people. Others do not care at all and will even treat this more harshly if the reckless driving charge occurred while the defendant was operating a commercial vehicle.

Long-Term Consequences of a Reckless Driving By Speed Charge

Reckless driving by speed looks bad on any person’s record but can look especially bad for those who have commercial driving licenses. Any kind of criminal offense that shows up on a person’s record is going to appear any time that they are applying for a job, student loans, or a professional license and a criminal background check is done. While it does not have the same impact that a larceny crime or a drug crime might have, nevertheless it is something that they do not want to have on their record if they can avoid it.

Defenses for Reckless Driving By Speed

There are more defenses available in the general reckless cases than there are in a reckless speeding case. Many accident cases involve a single vehicle, which means that the only evidence of the accident, and more importantly why the accident occurred, is going to come from the driver. There are often are not any witnesses and the officer will not have observed the accident occur. Just being in an accident does not make a person guilty of reckless driving. Rather, it is what a person does that causes the accident and whether a court can say beyond a reasonable doubt that the activity in question was reckless.

Very often the government is left only with statements made by the defendant about why the accident occurred. If the defendant does not make any statements, it is very difficult for the government to prove its case. Even in cases where someone does make an incriminating statement, it is very often true that a general reckless is much easier to reduce to the traffic infraction of improper driving than it is in a reckless speeding case. If an individual wants to know more about the impact of Fairfax reckless driving by speed on CDL holders and how to defend against reckless driving by speed charges, they should speak with a knowledgeable attorney that could help.