Fairfax County - Northern Virginia - Reckless Driving - Charged with 60 in a 35 mile zone - no accident - Clean Record

[Jaganath Dabbi]

Jurisdiction

Virginia

My son was charged with doing 60 miles in a 35 miles zone. He is 18 years old and has a clean record other than this one violation. There was no accident.

He was given a ticket (summons I guess) to appear in the Fairfax County General District Court, and did not have the option to pre-pay. The officer also told him that he would not press charges since he was respectful.

The code is RD- GENERALLY-MISD with VA Code46.2-852 and Local Code 82-1-6

Hopefully the following may help:
1. Good high school senior student (4.2 GPA) and completed multiple engineering research internships at George Mason University and Johns Hopkins University
2. Clean record
3. No Accident
4. Few cars on divided road
5. Started a non-profit to educate middle school kids that spread to 4 counties and 2 states. Educated 750 kids in Computer science and robotics
6. Admitted to top 10 engineering universities such as Virginia Tech and University of Texas at Austin

The court date April 25th.

Looking for advice and recommendations on defensive driving class and any community service to get the charge reduced. Ultimately, will hire an attorney.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Red Kayak]

1) What he does in the classroom is irrelevant.
2) He's *18*. He's barely graduated from teenage driving restrictions.
3) Only relevant thing so far, and frankly it's only by the grace of G** that he didn't have an accident.
4) Again, a blessing, but neither an excuse nor reason to be driving nearly double the speed limit.
5) Again, not relevant.
6) S-o f-r-i-g-g-i-n-g w-h-a-t.

I get it. He's a good student. He has plenty of ECs. You feel like now is the time to celebrate him getting into reasonably good schools.

But he also drove 60 in a 35 mph zone. Driving more than 20 mph above the speed limit is grounds for being charged with reckless driving. The Virginia DMV has generously illustrated why: Speeding Perhaps your clever son can explain the physics to you.

Speed can kill. There have been plenty of otherwise "good" kids who have made this "mistake". Stop making excuses for your kid and instill some personal responsibility in him before he leaves for college and engages in more risky activities.

Get an initial consult with a lawyer and start looking up Virginia DMV approved Driver Improvement Courses. And have him reimburse you for any legal fees, fines, increase in auto insurance etc.

 

[justblue]

1) What he does in the classroom is irrelevant.
2) He's *18*. He's barely graduated from teenage driving restrictions.
3) Only relevant thing so far, and frankly it's only by the grace of G** that he didn't have an accident.
4) Again, a blessing, but neither an excuse nor reason to be driving nearly double the speed limit.
5) Again, not relevant.
6) S-o f-r-i-g-g-i-n-g w-h-a-t.

I get it. He's a good student. He has plenty of ECs. You feel like now is the time to celebrate him getting into reasonably good schools.

But he also drove 60 in a 35 mph zone. Driving more than 20 mph above the speed limit is grounds for being charged with reckless driving. The Virginia DMV has generously illustrated why: Speeding Perhaps your clever son can explain the physics to you.

Speed can kill. There have been plenty of otherwise "good" kids who have made this "mistake". Stop making excuses for your kid and instill some personal responsibility in him before he leaves for college and engages in more risky activities.

Get an initial consult with a lawyer and start looking up Virginia DMV approved Driver Improvement Courses. And have him reimburse you for any legal fees, fines, increase in auto insurance etc.

Excellent post Red!

It is amazing to me how parents of young adults will seek to use their child's wonderful intellect/GPA as a reason that their dangerous choices be overlooked or excused. Frankly, if the young man is so smart, WTF is he driving like a moron and endangering others on the road?

 

[adjusterjack]

VA Code46.2-852 and Local Code 82-1-6

§ 46.2-852. Reckless driving; general rule.

Irrespective of the maximum speeds permitted by law, any person who drives a vehicle on any highway recklessly or at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of any person shall be guilty of reckless driving.

Title 46.2. Motor Vehicles

law.lis.virginia.gov

Local Code 82-1-6 adopts the state code as the local code.

§ 82-1-6. Adoption of state law, Article 1. In General., Chapter 82. Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Code of Ordinances, Fairfax County

fairfaxcounty.elaws.us

The maximum penalties for a reckless driving conviction in Virginia are:

• Six (6) DMV points
• $2,500 fine
• 6 months driver's license suspension
• 12 months jail time

First offenders of Virginia's reckless driving laws are subject to the full scope of penalties including fines, license suspension, and jail time.

Reckless Driving Virginia: What are the Penalties?

Reckless driving in Virginia is a class 1 misdemeanor and carries a variety of possible punishments and serious long-term consequences. The maximum penalties for a reckless driving conviction in Virginia are: Six (6) DMV points; $2,500 fine; 6 months driver’s license suspension; and 12 months...

www.fightvirginiarecklessdriving.com

 

[army judge]

It is amazing to me how parents of young adults will seek to use their child's wonderful intellect/GPA as a reason that their dangerous choices be overlooked or excused.

In addition, I'll add, if the violator were so darn smart, accomplished, intelligent, he'd be wise enough to know that smart people obey traffic laws.

Violate those laws, you'll become a habitual violator, with revoked or suspended driving privileges, doling out thousands of dollars in legal fees and fines, with exorbitant insurance rates; assuming you can obtain insurance, other than an SR22 filing.

An SR-22 is a document that proves you have the minimum required car insurance coverage mandated by your state, often required for high-risk drivers after certain violations like a DUI. It is not an insurance policy, but rather a filing made by your insurance company with your state.

 

[welkin]

He was given a ticket (summons I guess) to appear in the Fairfax County General District Court, and did not have the option to pre-pay. The officer also told him that he would not press charges since he was respectful.

I don't know what charges the officer could have charged your son with even if he were not respectful. The fact is the officer issued the ticket for 60 in a 35 zone. The reason he could not pre-pay is because he is going to face a judge in court.

 

[Red Kayak]

An aside: it is generally a good idea not to use any form of your real name on these forums.

Colleges occasionally rescind acceptances.

 

[flyingron]

Reckless Driving in VA is a serious charge, it's a misdemeanor. Since they didn't waive the appearance, they also are not waiving the possibility of jail time. You can assist your son by getting him an attorney for this.

I went in with my daughter years ago fat, dumb, and happy and I was lucky that the arresting officer grabbed us prior to the trial and pushed us into see the commonwealth's attorney to get things plead down to something noncriminal (and that she got deferred for taking driving school).