Out-of-State Drivers in Fairfax Speeding Cases
Manassas treats speeding seriously just as other jurisdictions do. It is a jurisdiction that can be tough on speeding. It has a couple of main court orders that go through it, including the I-95 court orders as well as 66. It is something that the court sees frequently. It is something that imposes jail time in the right kind of case.
If you are an out-of-state driver, the first thing you should do if you receive a summons is to contact a skilled reckless driving lawyer that has experience handling out-of-state drivers in Fairfax speeding cases. It is important to figure out quickly how serious the charge is with the benefit of looking at your record, speed, and other surrounding facts and circumstances to begin to attack the case in a way that is going to give you the best chance to have the best outcome possible. Contact an attorney today, and know that you are in capable hands.
Implications of a Reckless Driving Charge
What a reckless driving charge means for an out-of-state driver is going to vary, depending on what state they come from. Most states are part of a mutual recording compact, so a conviction in one state will be reported back to the other state and they have consequences in that state through their local DMV as well as with insurance. In some states, these charges do not show often, so being convicted in Virginia may not make any difference in their home state. However, for the vast majority of states, a conviction in Manassas is going to have the same or similar consequences to a conviction on their home state.
Aspects of Driving in Virginia Out-of-State Drivers Should Know
Every out of state driver driving through in Virginia, particularly through Manassas, needs to be aware that it is very easy to cross over from a speeding infraction to a criminal offense. Driving more than 20 miles an hour over the speed limit or driving 80 miles is a crime in the state of Virginia that can give a person a permanent criminal record that can cause them to go jail if their record is bad enough and the speed is high enough. It can cost them to lose their privilege to drive in Virginia.
Even if their license from out of state is not suspended, they can still lose their privilege to drive in Virginia. Also, it can be very expensive in terms of fines that can be imposed and having to engage a lawyer, so it is important to be very careful when driving in Virginia. If a person does step into the track of speeding recklessly in the state, it is important to take that seriously and to involve an attorney early. These are not the kinds of offenses that get automatically dismissed or reduced. Virginia is very tough on this kind of offense, so it is important to have an experienced attorney assisting out-of-state drivers in Fairfax speeding cases and advocating for them.
Importance of Working With a Fairfax Reckless Driving Lawyer
Out-of-state drivers in Fairfax speeding cases should contact local counsel. One of the reasons they should do that is to determine whether they are going to need to appear because reckless driving is a misdemeanor. In theory, a defendant is going to have to appear in every case. In practice, prosecutors and courts will waive the appearance of defendants in certain reckless driving cases but not others.
If it is a case where a person has potential to have a loss of license or to go to jail, then their appearance is going to be mandatory. In other cases that are less serious with those kinds of penalties not being threatened, very often a person’s appearance can be waived. This is something that an out-of-state driver is going to need to consult with an attorney about to determine whether or not they are going to have to come. If an individual has been given a summons, they should consult a skilled lawyer that could advocate for them.
