Prince William Reckless Driving Lawyer

When faced with a criminal offense charge, it is exceedingly important that you seek the service of a Prince William County Reckless Driving Lawyer to secure the professional legal help you require. Prosecutors and the police are known to go to great lengths to ensure that the accused party gets a reckless driving charge instead of a simple ticket. Different legal options are available if you get charged with a DUI offense. Your lawyer will strive to help you fight the case. By seeking expert legal help, you will minimize the likelihood of your license getting revoked/suspended or adding a DUI offense to your driving record. 

Why do You Need to Hire a Prince William County Reckless Driving Attorney?

We have a team of accomplished lawyers with years of experience helping clients fight reckless driving charges in the Prince William County area. We provide extensive legal expertise that most clients lack to defend themselves when facing such charges effectively. You must remember that if you get a reckless driving conviction, the consequences and penalties you can potentially face are serious. Therefore, it is crucial to secure one of our professional lawyers to be on your side. Prince William County Reckless Driving Attorneys will utilize their knowledge to ensure that you get a reduced penalty or the case is dismissed completely.

If you do not plead guilty to the reckless driving charge, your lawyer will effectively represent your interests in a trial. The main objective of a trial is to raise doubt as to whether or not you committed the crime. Remember, in our present innocent-until-proven-guilty judicial system. You do not have to prove your innocence.

Another legal option for your reckless driving attorney is negotiating a plea bargain with the prosecutor. At times, you can get a lesser charge or less severe penalty if your attorney manages to negotiate a deal with the prosecutor assigned to your case.  

Your Prince William County Reckless Driving Lawyer will protect your rights and interests in the course of the process of handling your case. Reach out to us for additional information. 

How is Reckless Driving Defined in Prince William?

Reckless driving is defined under the Virginia Code Section 46.2-852. Under this code section, you can get a Class 1 misdemeanor offense if:

  • You drive on any highway at an unsafe speed or compromise the safety of other motorists and the property of others.
  • You drive a vehicle on any highway in a manner that is reckless and endangers the life, limb, or property of others. 

In addition to careless speeding, you can also get reckless driving charges for minor driving actions, for instance, failure to indicate when switching lanes or turning.

Remember that even though you normally cannot get a driving charge for driving just five to ten miles over the allowed speed limit, you can still receive a charge when you travel above the speed limit by 10 MPH during a snowstorm. Considering how adversely such driving conditions affect road safety, speeding over the limit can be considered a reckless driving charge.

One issue is that most drivers do not realize when they perform actions that go beyond the limits of minor traffic infractions rather than being reckless driving. Often this is what results in an outcome that seems unfair. If you are charged with reckless driving, your Prince William County Reckless Driving Lawyer will help establish a solid defense to prove your actions were not high-risk behavior.

Reckless Driving Conviction

For you to receive a reckless driving offense conviction, the prosecutor has to provide sufficient evidence that your speed and actions endangered the safety of others. The following are various types of driving actions that the prosecutor assigned to your case might identify your behavior as reckless and unreasonable:

  • Traveling with a vehicle that has malfunctioning brakes
  • Failure to stop for a stopped school bus
  • Using the incorrect traffic lane
  • Overtaking in restricted areas or when negotiating a turn
  • Partaking in street racing
  • Being in a high-speed chase
  • Going over the speed limit in hazardous road conditions
  • Failures to stop to give way to an emergency vehicle with the siren on, such as a police car or fire truck
  • Going over 80 MPH or driving for more than 20 miles over the limit

You can avoid conviction by increasing doubt as to whether your driving behavior was risky to others as charged or if you can convince the jury that your actions were not, in fact, reckless. When you retain a Prince William County Reckless Driving Lawyer, you greatly increase your chances of a favorable outcome in court. 

What Penalties Can I Face for Reckless Driving Charge?

If this is your first conviction for a reckless driving offense, a maximum jail term of one year can apply, or a fine over $2,500 as stipulated under Code Section 46.2-868. If you were also driving while distracted by an electronic device such as a smartphone, you could be fined an extra $250.

Also, your license can get suspended for a period of 6 months in addition to your insurance rates increasing since you will have six demerit points added to your insurance. It is worth noting that a reckless driving offense will be part of your driving record for the next 11 years.

A Reckless Driving Lawyer Provides the Necessary Assistance

If you are hit with a reckless driving offense, you do not have to deal with it alone. Our team of professional Prince William County Reckless Driving Lawyers has made it possible for many clients to avoid convictions and retain their licenses. Reach out to us today for a free consultation.

criminal offense criminal offense prince William county reckless driving cases reckless driving case traffic offenses traffic offenses reckless driving tickets criminal defense attorney police officers traffic offense traffic offense traffic attorney prince William prince William experienced lawyer license suspension attorney attorney traffic conditions jail time jail time misdemeanor conviction simple traffic ticket misdemeanor charge traffic tickets criminal record criminal record virginia law

Schedule A Free Case Consultation