hot to deal with VA speeding ticket

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many years ago, I was pulled over for speeding in New York State - cop said 71 in a 55. I didn't think I could possibly have been going that fast and said so, and the cop gave me a break by writing the ticket for "failing to obey a posted traffic sign" or something like that, instead of a "speeding" ticket. I mailed in the notice that I would contest it, and then received a notice in the mail prior to my court date that the prosecution had upped the charges back to speeding. I went to court and lost. And I ended up getting two more speeding tickets over the next six months (yeah, I know, but I was 20 and stupid) which led to NY suspending my driving privileges in the state for six months.

Long story short, the guy gave you a break. I'm really surprised you didn't get the automatic reckless driving. Pay the ticket. If your insurance goes up afterwards, call your insurer and ask if there's something you can do, like a driving class, to alleviate the higher rate. Do NOT just call your insurance company and tell them you got a ticket and ask about points, though.

Thanks for your post! I was tempted to call my insurance company - but I think you're right.

[Anonymous]

I did it in person. They have them all over the place. it is usually a saturday (8 or 9 hours).

You can take the course voluntarily, the court does not have to mandate it. Wait until after your points are taken away, for if you are already at +5, take the course you will stay +5, then the DMV will deduct however many points (probably 4), you won't be able to retake the course for another year.

[Anonymous]

All i can say is, the look of horror on my face when he told me how fast I was going must have been enough to convince him that I wasn't intentional about speeding. I know I'm very lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did it in person. They have them all over the place. it is usually a saturday (8 or 9 hours).

You can take the course voluntarily, the court does not have to mandate it. Wait until after your points are taken away, for if you are already at +5, take the course you will stay +5, then the DMV will deduct however many points (probably 4), you won't be able to retake the course for another year.

Thanks. That makes sense. I can't find anything on the DMV web site about the demerit system (+5) but I have found info all over the web on other sites about it.

Is it worth getting a copy of my driving record?

[Anonymous]

Don't pay the ticket- hire an ttorney to get it reduced- the courts are full of people who are there for their third reckless driving, DUI etc.. you have a +5 record which is the highest. They aren't there to get people like you. A coworker just went through this and he went to court- got this 10+ year proof of no citations from the DMV, dressed up, talked to the DA who already knew who he was since he had a +5, told him she'd drop it, pay court fees ($50) if he took an online course. Don't take an online course before court- it only adds points. If you have +5 you can't add anymore points. I also got a ticket- I have a 15 year no citation record- got it in good old OBX- I was going really fast (same thing- spaced out, late) and in NC you have to to go to court or hire an attny). I hired an attny who said with my record he was sure he could get it reduced to a non moving violation. I paid a lot (so they got their money) but I didnt get hit with the points.

Check out city-forum for advice like this- if you have a clean record- you should always try to get it reduced- those points will hit your insurance!

[Anonymous]

You can get a copy of your driving records in moments on the DMV website (if you have your pin/log in information). Totally worth getting (i think it is $5.00). In fact, I needed that when I had to go to court to get my temporary license (i'm the pp that was going 78 in a 55 on route 66).

[Anonymous]

http://virginia.drivinguniversity.com/speeding-tickets/speeding-ticket-fines

This might help - it could be 6+ points.

[Anonymous]

PP here- call DMV and ask them what your record is and if you have any citations- I think the most they go back is 11 years.. if you really have nothing- try to get some mercy from the court! again, go to city-forum for tips if you do this on your own like my coworker did- or hire an attorney only if they feel confident they can get it waived. When I interviewed NC atnys most said they could get it to 0-9 over which is still a violation.. those attnys were going for the no brainer easy way.. The one I hired got it when i said I had a perfect driving record.. Plus you live in VA.. I was reading about NC programs to get what I got but without having to hire an attorney (this is a source of revenue for NC from tourists- and hiring an attorney helps their business stay in business)...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't pay the ticket- hire an ttorney to get it reduced- the courts are full of people who are there for their third reckless driving, DUI etc.. you have a +5 record which is the highest. They aren't there to get people like you. A coworker just went through this and he went to court- got this 10+ year proof of no citations from the DMV, dressed up, talked to the DA who already knew who he was since he had a +5, told him she'd drop it, pay court fees ($50) if he took an online course. Don't take an online course before court- it only adds points. If you have +5 you can't add anymore points. I also got a ticket- I have a 15 year no citation record- got it in good old OBX- I was going really fast (same thing- spaced out, late) and in NC you have to to go to court or hire an attny). I hired an attny who said with my record he was sure he could get it reduced to a non moving violation. I paid a lot (so they got their money) but I didnt get hit with the points.

Check out city-forum for advice like this- if you have a clean record- you should always try to get it reduced- those points will hit your insurance!

Sorry, but I disagree. I went to court, dressed in a suit, completely professional with a perfect driving record. Didn't work. The DA wouldn't talk to me (this is Fairfax County). Paying for a lawyer, court fees, etc? That is way more than the $217.00 + the slight increase in your insurance. I learned it is NOT worth the gamble.

[Anonymous]

I own an sports car and am on a web forum with other drivers. The consensus is that VA has gotten even stricter in the last couple years. One guy got charged with reckless and went to court last month (clean driving record, did the online driving course, had a lawyer) and still just barely escaped a few days in jail and got his license suspended for 6 months along with a hefty fine.

Virginia is 20 over to get a reckless charge (so your cop must've marked a lower speed on the ticket), while MD is 30+. I'm always extremely careful with my speed in VA compared to MD as I don't want to end up in jail.

Compare this to 10 years ago when I got a reckless in VA (82 in a 55 on I-66 middle of the night with no cars). I took it to court and "only" got a 30-day license suspension and court costs/fines were in the $300 range.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don't have any advice for you, but I want to express my understanding of your feelings.

A year ago, I got my first ticket since college. My husband was about to miss the train to work, so I jumped in the car to drop him off. On a country road on the way there, I was pulled over for going 40 in a 25. I was 9 months pregnant, and I cried myself into early labor, no joke. I got a $200 fine on top of the speeding charge for being in a "residential" area. I felt horrible on so many levels.

This, too, shall pass. Everyone makes mistakes. Hopefully you'll get some good advice here.

[Anonymous]

Thanks... yes, oddly the cop marked the speed as I noted - 60 in a 35. He said he could have gotten me on reckless, but he didn't, and yes, the box "you may avoid coming to court only if this block is checked and all instructions on defendant's copy are followed" IS checked off.

i'm thinking it would be stupid to go to court and risk a judge citing me for reckless.

i'll pay the fine and wait to see what my insurance company does.

does anyone know if this is automatically reported to insurance by the DMV, or if insurance automatically requests the info periodically? just wondering how soon this will take effect...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't have any advice for you, but I want to express my understanding of your feelings.

A year ago, I got my first ticket since college. My husband was about to miss the train to work, so I jumped in the car to drop him off. On a country road on the way there, I was pulled over for going 40 in a 25. I was 9 months pregnant, and I cried myself into early labor, no joke. I got a $200 fine on top of the speeding charge for being in a "residential" area. I felt horrible on so many levels.

This, too, shall pass. Everyone makes mistakes. Hopefully you'll get some good advice here.

Thanks PP. It was wrong, and I should have been paying closer attention. I will now.

[Anonymous]

Read your auto insurance policy too. No need to add breach of contract and fraud to this understandable error. You obviously feel bad. This will certainly pass. But if you insurer requires you to tell them, tell them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't pay the ticket- hire an ttorney to get it reduced- the courts are full of people who are there for their third reckless driving, DUI etc.. you have a +5 record which is the highest. They aren't there to get people like you. A coworker just went through this and he went to court- got this 10+ year proof of no citations from the DMV, dressed up, talked to the DA who already knew who he was since he had a +5, told him she'd drop it, pay court fees ($50) if he took an online course. Don't take an online course before court- it only adds points. If you have +5 you can't add anymore points. I also got a ticket- I have a 15 year no citation record- got it in good old OBX- I was going really fast (same thing- spaced out, late) and in NC you have to to go to court or hire an attny). I hired an attny who said with my record he was sure he could get it reduced to a non moving violation. I paid a lot (so they got their money) but I didnt get hit with the points.

Check out city-forum for advice like this- if you have a clean record- you should always try to get it reduced- those points will hit your insurance!

Sorry, but I disagree. I went to court, dressed in a suit, completely professional with a perfect driving record. Didn't work. The DA wouldn't talk to me (this is Fairfax County). Paying for a lawyer, court fees, etc? That is way more than the $217.00 + the slight increase in your insurance. I learned it is NOT worth the gamble.

You were not successful on your own- my coworker was (and this was last month- not years ago).. an attny at minimum will get it reduced..