VA Speeding Fines increasing...

[Maengelito]

Yep, anything over 80mph in VA is punishable by "90 days in jail" and requires an attourney present for your case.

i dont think an attorney is "required" as i've had 2 reckless tickets and didnt have an attorney. the first one was in louisa and i met with an attorney a couple weeks in advance. then he would never return my phone calls or anything. i showed up to his office like an hour early the morning of court and couldnt find him anywhere. i went to court and explained that i tried to contact my attorney, he wasnt in his office, he never returned phone calls or anything. i had the case pushed back to a later date and continued to try to get in touch with him. after not being able to, i just went in to court and told the judge my predicament. he reduced it to 19 over.

the other time, i tried calling the clerk as i was gonna be out of town for work on the scheduled court date. the clerk told me that unless i have proof of an inaccurate speedometer or some other equipment failure, the judge was not gonna reduce the charge and i should just send a letter explaining my side of the court case. she specifically told me to not even bother showing up because nothing would get reduced. i was found guilty in absentia and only charged a fine and court costs for the reckless.

i had a really hard time accepting the fact that i shouldnt even show up, but the clerk told me several times to not even bother as the judge never reduces anything. whether or not it was the right move, i didnt have a lawyer, didnt even show up but didnt get jail time or anything even though it was reckless.