Virginians... lend me your ear?

[minkydog]

Just to clarify... ds os 20 he was doing 82 in a 55 in Richmond. Yes hw was speeding, yes he is paying every dime. Thanks for advice... kinda not good but knew it was bad. He has to appear and no I will not be allowing him to drive. Again thanks for the advice.

Oww~this is gonna hurt

 

[Piecey]

It has always been my experience when getting out of state tickets that you just pay the fine, and you don't get any "points" on your license since you are not licesnsed in that state. Therefore, it doesn't create an insurance issue. Has this changed?

Does he have to go to court or can he just pay the fine? In MD it is standard practice to get a court date for every traffic violation, or you can just pay the fine and assume guilt.

Some states have reciprocal agreements and do report to the home state.

I got a speeding ticket in Lexington, KY and they definitely reported it back to West Virginia. It's the only thing on my license and points were applied.


OP, I'd hire a lawyer.

 

[hereyago]

Sorry I can't help OP. I don't know any lawyers up there. I just called my exdh who lives up there and had some "issues" recently, but he had a Public Defender.

 

[Mama-san]

Ok, my DH asleep and I can't remember the details exactly, but he was stopped this past summer on I-81 doing about 10-15 miles over the limit. He was able to pay his fine one line, but it was around $175 and I'm pretty sure that it didn't go on his record here (but I'm not 100%).

 

[2BigKIdz]

This may be of some help as to the fines http://virginia.drivinguniversity.com/speeding-tickets/speeding-ticket-fines

I would do as others have recommended and contact a local attorney, it's not likely that he would receive jail time but it is mentioned as a consequence in the speeding category he falls under.

Virginia is even tougher on it's in-state drivers.

 

[DisneyScraps]

I have some experience with this. I live 20 minutes from the VA border and I never befriended my cruise control. We are quite close now. however.....I got 2 tickets in a year. It was about 4 years ago. Shockingly they never showed up on my driving record.

Pay the fine, VA is really easy about doing it too, you can do it on line. That should be it.

Lisa

 

[kirbsam]

dang. i thought you said virgins...and i thought you were going to give advice. sorry, back to previous discussion.

 

[Agri]

Your son needs a lawyer.

A friend in-state had a similar charge and spent a week in jail and lost his license for a year - with the help of a lawyer. Luckily for your son, they are slightly easier on out of state drivers.

 

[luvsJack]

20 over is reckless driving here too, I thought it was everywhere. Why the need for an attorney though? Around here it would be cheaper to travel and appear yourself than to hire an attorney. And if you can pay it online--that sounds like the way to go.

Here there isn't much an attorney can do but tell the judge you are guilty and maybe say that your driving record is clean. But it doesn't really matter anyway because the judge is going to say $$$X is the fine and you pay. Is the lawyer able to do something to get it off your record?

If not, I would just pay the fine online and be done with it.

 

[Agri]

20 over is reckless driving here too, I thought it was everywhere. Why the need for an attorney though? Around here it would be cheaper to travel and appear yourself than to hire an attorney. And if you can pay it online--that sounds like the way to go.

Here there isn't much an attorney can do but tell the judge you are guilty and maybe say that your driving record is clean. But it doesn't really matter anyway because the judge is going to say $$$X is the fine and you pay. Is the lawyer able to do something to get it off your record?

The specifics of laws and their consequences vary from state to state. In most situations, the difference between having a lawyer and just going into court without representation can be the difference between a fine and probation and significant jail time.

An attorney who specializes in driving violations will know the routines, know the best way to approach the situation, etc. It is better to be armed with information then to just go in expecting to just pay a fine and move on with your life and then end up getting hit with a felony.

 

[HM]

Get him a lawyer. It may well be worth the cost to retain one.

 

[luvsJack]

The specifics of laws and their consequences vary from state to state. In most situations, the difference between having a lawyer and just going into court without representation can be the difference between a fine and probation and significant jail time.

An attorney who specializes in driving violations will know the routines, know the best way to approach the situation, etc. It is better to be armed with information then to just go in expecting to just pay a fine and move on with your life and then end up getting hit with a felony.

Ok, so in Virginia do they normally give jail time for these kind of tickets? Thats kind of what I was asking. I realize that laws vary from state to state, but there is usually some similarities too.

If the option to pay the ticket online is there, then it doesn't sound like there is a possiblity of going to jail. The consequence would already be set.

 

[marlynnp]

Happened to me a few years on the way to WDW. By the time I got home I had a couple of letters from VA attorneys. I called one up and had him represent me in court.
The violation was changed and my fine lowered signifcantly. The total for the lawyer and the fine I did have to pay were about equal to the cost of the original fine but I did not have points to be reported to my state - so a definite savings overall on unsurance costs!