What are the Consequences of a Juvenile Traffic Violations?
Despite the common belief, traffic violations are actually fairly serious business. This can be especially true for juvenile traffic convictions, which can have a whole range of consequences for the child. A child can have his licenses suspended or his insurance can go up. Of course, this can limit a student’s ability to engage in after school activities or employment. Even worse, serious criminal charges might need to be disclosed on the juvenile’s college applications.
Juveniles can be convicted of the same sorts of traffic convictions as adults. This includes reckless driving, DUIs and speeding. They can also be charged with a series of offenses that are relevant only to minors. For example, a juvenile defendant can be charged with a kind of DUI that is specific to minors. They can also be charged with violating curfew. Many of these offenses are infractions and can be prepaid. However, juveniles will need to appear in court for the same offenses in which adults are required to appear.
What are the Components of Juvenile Specific Driving Offenses?
In Virginia, those under the age of 21 are not permitted to drink alcohol. A minor with a blood alcohol level of between .02 and .07 can be convicted of what is often called a “baby DUI.” The consequences for a baby DUI were once softer than a normal DUI, but changes in the law have since brought the penalties up to par with the adult version. Like an adult DUI, the offense contains a potential jail sentence of up to 12 months. There is also a fine of between $500.00 and $2,500.00 and a mandatory license suspension of an entire year. Finally, there will be a referral to ASAP. Any kind of DUI case is worth having review with an attorney. Sometimes, there may be technical problems with the Commonwealth’s case that an experienced attorney can recognize and develop a defense from.
Curfew violations are fairly simple offenses. The Commonwealth simply needs to prove that the child was driving between midnight and 4 A.M. However, there are exceptions to the statute such as emergencies.
What are the Long Term Effects?
Juvenile traffic convictions can be a serious pain. One of the major consequences is that the convictions can lead to increases in insurance costs. Insurance companies have very little data on new drivers, and when the first information that they receive is a driving violation, it simply looks bad. However, it is worth nothing that the Commonwealth rarely gets involved in these cases. Typically, the officer is the only representative of the state that appears in court. This presents a good opportunity to negotiate with the police officer. In order to do so, you will need to know the common practices in the jurisdiction. For example, in your jurisdiction can a reckless driving ticket be pled down to a speeding ticket? Contacting a Fairfax County, Virginia defense lawyer can help you discover what your options are.
