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Newport News Reckless Driving Lawyer

Reckless driving is a serious offense. It appears to be merely a speeding ticket, but there are also charges for reckless driving by other means besides just speed. A Newport News reckless driving lawyer can definitely help you fight these charges and can have them reduced or dismissed entirely. Call today to discuss your case with a reckless driving lawyer in Virginia.

What is Reckless Driving?

In Newport News, reckless driving consists of wide variety of different violations. Typically, the general definition for reckless driving is operating a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers life, limb or property or also operating a motor vehicle at an excessive speed that is in a reckless manner. The most common type of reckless driving is reckless driving by excessive speed which can be charged when you are driving 20 miles/hour over the posted speed limit or over 80 miles/hour total. If accused of another traffic violation call and discuss your case with a Newport News traffic violation.

How Can a Lawyer Help With Reckless Driving Charges In Newport News?

A reckless driving attorney in Newport News can help you present evidence in your defense for your reckless driving case in the best light possible and will also have a good idea of what evidence will actually go towards helping you rather than just presenting everything and having make no difference at all.

A Newport News reckless driving attorney can also help you to cross-examine the other side, which typically includes just the police officer, in order to cast reasonable doubt on his testimony or to object when appropriate.

Reckless driving lawyers in Newport News can also ensure that certain evidence is not admissible in court before the case even goes on and possibly may be able to have your case dismissed if the officer’s testimony is lacking specific information.

Common Ways Reckless Driving is Charged

There are a variety of ways that reckless driving can be charged, with the most common being by speed, which means driving 20 miles/hour over the posted speed limit or over 80 miles/hour.

There are other ways that it can be charged, which include passing a stopped school bus or an emergency vehicle with its lights on, driving with faulty brakes, drag racing or driving too fast for the current conditions.

Reckless driving can also be charged as just general reckless driving. This is a catch-all category that a whole bunch of different driving behaviors can be thrown into. Sometimes when people are in accident and the officer is required to charge someone, he will just go ahead and give them a general reckless summons. Many times it’s possible to argue these types of reckless driving charges down to improper driving instead. There is case law that states that the mere happening of an accident is not sufficient evidence alone of reckless driving.

Penalties for Reckless Driving in Newport News

Reckless driving is a criminal charge. It is a Class 1 Misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and up to $2500 fine as well as a license suspension for up to 6 months. A conviction also affects your driving record and results in 6 demerit points. The conviction itself remains on your driving record for 11 years.

For the most common type of reckless driving, which is by excessive speed, the penalties tend to increase along with the speed. Someone driving over 100 miles/hour is probably looking at some jail time, whereas someone who is going just 20 miles/hour over the speed limit might avoid jail altogether. If you were only charged for speeding, consult with a Newport News speeding ticket lawyer instead.

Advantages of a Local Newport News Reckless Driving Lawyer

It is important to have local counsel in Newport News because reckless driving is a serious criminal charge and you definitely need to ensure that you are getting a good fighting chance to reduce the charges. Local experience matters because each jurisdiction has its own customs and rules that differ slightly from other jurisdictions, and different judges are going to be more reasonable in terms of particular arguments than other judges.

A good local Newport News reckless driving attorney is going to know these little differences and nuances of each judge and can cater your arguments and your case strategy to fit certain personalities and in the end will result in better results for you.