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Editor: Bob Battle
Profession: DUI Defense Lawyer

Category: Virginia Reckless Driving/Speeding

Virginia Reckless Driving Speeding lawyer Bob Battle, who has helped thousands of motorists charged with this serious criminal misdemeanor offense to have their charges reduced or dismissed, usually without the accused even having to go to court, often speaks to people who conclude that they cannot afford to hire a lawyer for their reckless driving speeding charge. A recent example demonstrates what Battle was already well aware of- those people who choose to represent themselves often wind up costing themselves an additional $3,000 to potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars when compared to similar motorists who were smart enough to hire an experienced reckless driving speeding lawyer. That is why Bob Battle is presently writing a new Consumer Guide which will be titled "The Shocking Truth about Reckless Driving Speeding Charges in Virgina."

A recent example dramatically illustrates this point. Recently, Bob Battle spoke to a woman who had a Reckless Driving Speeding case in Hanover County, Virginia. Battle had already been retained to represent another motorist charged with Reckless Driving Speeding on the same date. Battle's client was actually doing faster than the other woman, who told Battle that she could not afford to hire a lawyer and represented herself.

Battle's client did not have to miss work and take vacation days to appear in court on his trial date. Battle negotiated a plea agreement with the prosecutor to reduce the speed and the judge continued the case to be dismissed. The cost to Battle's client for court costs and traffic school was approximately $100.

Now let's take a look at the costs of the woman who chose to represent herself. Hanover County traffic court prosecutors, like most counties in Virginia, will not plea bargain with individuals who are not represented by lawyers. The judge in Hanover County General District Court, like most judges in Virginia, view their mandate from the Virginia General Assembly to be similar to that of an umpire in baseball. If the evidence shows that the driver was doing 85 mph or above, they will be convicted as charged. This woman was found guilty of reckless driving speeding, asked the judge for a traffic school disposition, and her request was denied. Let's look at her costs:

fines and court costs: $400

mandatory civil remedial fees: $1050

increased insurance: approximately $3000 over three years (If the judge also suspends the person's license, the increase is much higher.)

Lost days from work: 1 or 2

Criminal record: permanent class one misdemeanor criminal record

Points on Virginia driving record: 6 (Virginia only has 3, 4 & 6 point offenses)

Loss of a job or potential job due to criminal record: possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars!

This woman's decision to save some money on legal fees wound up costing her a ton of money, her clean criminal record, 6 points on her driving record, huge increases in insurance premiums, and, potentially, the loss of current or future jobs.

To learn more about the seriousness of Virginia Reckless Driving Speeding laws and how you can avoid winding up like the woman described in this article, watch the videos and read the articles at www.VirginiaRecklessDrivingInfo.com.