Reckless driving tech?

[JohnC]

So is there any way for me to not get completely bent over by this?

I was coming up to the Turhumanheaducken party, just heading north on US-15. Hilariously, I wasn't even going that fast (maybe ~60). Approached a car being driven by an old blue hair, doing anywhere betwee 40-65, depending on the grade and heading. I pulled out to pass, almost got punted when the stupid woman pulled into the center of the road, and then punched it (3rd gear in the WRX) and got around. A pass with "gusto" to say the least. I pulled back into the right lane, just in time to see the cop :roll: 85 according to his radar - in my opinion thats probably on the low side, but of course I didn't mention that. Stupid boost. Anyhow, it was "reckless driving / speed" written on the ticket. The officer did note that I was not driving dangerously (other than doing 30+ over the limit), and was certainly in control of the car and was able to brake and pull over *immediately* after seeing his lights (less than 150 yards from where he was sitting to begin with).

So what the hell do I do about this? I *have* to appear in court (Louisa county) - its a class 1 misdemeanor charge. My previous experience with a speeding ticket was just to show up, act deferential and plead guilty, get the fine halved, and walk away. Does it work that way for reckless too? The cop did mention that he would tell the judge that I cooperated and didn't dick around - but this is big $$$ for the county, so I kind of doubt it'll matter much. Hell if I know...

Oh mighty MM forum, dispense your wisdom!

[Feersty]

Correct me if I am wrong can you get arrested on the spot for speeding that much in excess of the speed limit?

OT: Were you good enough to drive home after the party? You mentioned you had a hangover Sunday morning..just curious...

[JohnC]

Correct me if I am wrong can you get arrested on the spot for speeding that much in excess of the speed limit?

At the discretion of the officer, yes. The officer that pulled me over, while certainly not lenient, did not seem to be at all concerned with arresting me on the spot.

OT: Were you good enough to drive home after the party? You mentioned you had a hangover Sunday morning..just curious...

I was fine driving home Sunday morning. Minor headache at the worst... Just left the window down to keep some air moving in the car. When I got home and into the heated house, the nausea hit pretty hard though...

[Mike]

Correct me if I am wrong can you get arrested on the spot for speeding that much in excess of the speed limit?

you can get arrested for pretty much anything... you probably can get arrested for 85, but that would be absolutely stupid. hell, hawley wasn't even arrested for 105.

OT: Were you good enough to drive home after the party? You mentioned you had a hangover Sunday morning..just curious...

he already said he was.



john, it pretty much is bend over and take it like a... gay dude. ummm, the judge didn't want to hear a thing i had to say because according to her, 82 is TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL! grrrrr... no, i'm not bitter.

you know the typical, be polite, dress nicely, apologize, admit fault, etc. i wouldn't recommend getting a lawyer cause they cost more than the ticket or insurance increase. in the end, it depends on how your judge is feeling.

also to note: my insurance sent me a warning letter, but did not increase my rates a penny.

[JohnC]

you know the typical, be polite, dress nicely, apologize, admit fault, etc. i wouldn't recommend getting a lawyer cause they cost more than the ticket or insurance increase. in the end, it depends on how your judge is feeling.

I guess my biggest concern isn't the amount of the fine - I just don't want to deal with possibly losing my license... That would be my only reason for considering a lawyer.

[Mike]

if your record is pretty decent i don't think you have a thing to worry about.

[Andy]

Unlikely you'd lose your license over a less serious infraction. I've done much worse and never had my license taken away. The only instance I've ever heard of someone having their license taken was away was a DUI and he hit someone.

[Ryan T]

cry in court, charges dismissed.

[Sijray21]

Unlikely you'd lose your license over a less serious infraction. I've done much worse and never had my license taken away. The only instance I've ever heard of someone having their license taken was away was a DUI and he hit someone.

you might lose it. (not trying to scare you, but being realistic)

I was pulled over in Charles County, VA (williamsburg) going 84 in a 65 on I-64. I was charged with reckless / speeding and i did recieve a class 1 misdemeanor. My license was suspended for 5 days, got slapped with a $300 fine (on top of court costs), and i had to go to driving school ($120 - forced since i was 19 at the time). My cop also had 19 other people there who were there for reckless (seems to be a collector) - i got charged the least amount for fines and lost my license for the least amount of time. 2 people had lawyers with them: one got off the hook completely since he was charged because he has two wheels outside of the yellow/white lines on an off ramp and he appeared to be about 80 years old, the other one still got charged and lost his license.

EDIT: If you have a good record you might be able to knock this down to speeding (or if you ask a lawyer i would definitely do that). Speeding charges are nothing compared to reckless charges.

If you're really concerned i would hire a lawyer. The thing that hurt the most wasn't really the initial charges, but rather the additional insurance cost associated with it and it's also sometimes a question for employers to pick on.

[BLINGMW]

if your record is pretty decent i don't think you have a thing to worry about.

agreed. I've totalled a few cars and had a reckless driving charge stick as well, and they didn't take mine away.

And I think your just *quickly* (they like to keep things moving fast, have a 30 second explanation prepared) explaining what happened and asking for a reduced charge is the way to go. Heck, see if they give you any sympathy for you having to floor it avoid the accident the old bag was trying to cause.

[Andy]

Employer records would be the biggest concern to me. I've had a spotty driving record at best, 2 speeding and a reckless within the past three years and that is really a point of concern for me. I will be coming up for a security/background check for a new assignment and the Dept. of Homeland Security looks at driving records.

[Sijray21]

Employer records would be the biggest concern to me. I've had a spotty driving record at best, 2 speeding and a reckless within the past three years and that is really a point of concern for me. I will be coming up for a security/background check for a new assignment and the Dept. of Homeland Security looks at driving records.

you'll be ok, they look for DUI's and Intent to Kill Offenses. Speeding they could care less about. I'm sure a bunch of people can agree with me on this one. Those who either a)work directly for the gov't (maeng, and i believe more) or b)work indirectly for the gov't (slu of gov't contractors on here).

[mpg9999]

If you work hard and put in the time most people have a decent chance at getting the ticket dismissed. Most people don't want to put in the work though. If you do, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

[Sijray21]

If you work hard and put in the time most people have a decent chance at getting the ticket dismissed. Most people don't want to put in the work though.

...? what work are you talking about?

[mpg9999]

If you work hard and put in the time most people have a decent chance at getting the ticket dismissed. Most people don't want to put in the work though.

...? what work are you talking about?

Fighting the ticket.

Did you get my IM from over the weekend?

[Sijray21]

actually i did, pm/im me when you're trying to go do this (didn't get home early enough last night to do so....what are you planning.... :wink: ?)

If you can make a good case then i'm sure you can get it reduced. The only time i ever tried to do this was when i recieved my "improper exhaust" ticket from h-burg...fought it and i still got charged with it. The speeding i kinda knew i was guilty and after watching the other people fight it i didn't even bother. In retrospect i would tried to get it knocked down to speeding, or request that it be knocked down to speeding (admitting partial fault while pleading your case)...any thoughts on this?

[Mike]

oh yeah, i also took an online defensive driver class. it gave me like 5 points on my license or something.

[Sijray21]

oh yeah, i also took an online defensive driver class. it gave me like 5 points on my license or something.

link? How much did it cost?

[mpg9999]

actually i did, pm/im me when you're trying to go do this (didn't get home early enough last night to do so....what are you planning.... :wink: ?)

If you can make a good case then i'm sure you can get it reduced. The only time i ever tried to do this was when i recieved my "improper exhaust" ticket from h-burg...fought it and i still got charged with it. The speeding i kinda knew i was guilty and after watching the other people fight it i didn't even bother. In retrospect i would tried to get it knocked down to speeding, or request that it be knocked down to speeding (admitting partial fault while pleading your case)...any thoughts on this?

They key is being prepared. I bet most of the people that tried to fight it had no idea what they were doing (how many of them brought up cosine error?). <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.motorists.org">www.motorists.org</a><!-- w --> is an organization all of you guys should be a member off. They will help you fight a ticket by renting you their legal defense kit. If you have been a member for more then a year, they will even pay for your ticket if you fight and loose.

[Mike]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.idrivesafely.com/">http://www.idrivesafely.com/</a><!-- m --> - like $50