Average Cost of a Reckless Driving Ticket
A reckless driving conviction can cost you thousands in the long-run. To breakdown the median charges, consider:
- Fines – A court mandated fine. The fines aren’t usually the biggest issue. Fines typically are in the $100-300 range, although exceptions can happen if the behavior is particularly bad, the speed is exceptionally high and/or the driver has a very bad driving record.
- Insurance – this is usually the biggest cost. While there is no guarantee of how much an insurance premium will increase, there is often a hidden expense down the road to being convicted of a 6 point driving violation. You should try to determine how much you expect your insurance to increase before going to court. If you don’t think the increase will be significant hiring a lawyer may be an unnecessary expense. If on the other hand, your carrier is likely to impose a hefty increase or drop you altogether, hiring a lawyer may be the cheaper way to go.
There may be other consequences, although they are rarer than the insurance increase. Like everything else the more homework you do before court do determine how these things apply to you personally, the better prepared you will be on your court date. Knowledge of how these issues will impact you is something that you have to determine on your own. Every person is different and has a different set of factors that will influence the final cost. A few minutes worth of research before court case save you significantly in the long run.
- Wages Lost – you will have to spend a great deal of time going to court and fighting to get the best outcome for your case. An employer could also terminate you if they catch wind of your criminal record. In Virginia, reckless driving is considered to be a misdemeanor offense, and it will stay on your criminal recordindefinitely if you’re found guilty.
- Driver’s License Points – reckless drivers get a deduction of 6 points from their driver’s license.
- School – what does reckless driving have to do with school? You could wind up paying tuition for driving courses.
These costs can quickly add up to be thousands. Reckless driving therefore, can set you back financially and in other areas of your life.
What Exactly is Reckless Driving?
The offense is described as driving with wanton disregard for life, limb and property.
There are many ways this can transpire, including running a red light, not stopping when a school bus stops, or the most popular way – speeding on a public roadway.
Save Money on Reckless Driving in Fairfax County
To spare some of the expenses outlined in this article, drivers may want to hire legal counsel and attempt a plea bargain. The plea bargain makes sense if the judge is likely to find the driver guilty and impose a more significant punishment. Again, there is no size fits all way to think about any of these issues. If you are on the fence talk to a lawyer to get perspective, but have some idea of the consequences applicable to you personally before you call. That way you can effectively way the risks of going in by yourself versus the fees that the lawyer will charge.
Things to Know about Reckless Driving
Drivers should note that in the event that reckless driving does end up on their record, this cannot be expunged. For driving records, this type of unlawful driving remains reported for 11 years.
Prosecutors won’t plea bargain in Fairfax with a driver without representation from a lawyer.
Unlike other districts in Virginia, Fairfax imposes some of the strictest penalties, in that there are no diversion programs for reckless driving.
The best bet therefore, is usually to fight the charges altogether or speak with a lawyer to determine if a plea bargain is right for you.
