Did you get pulled over for speeding in Virginia and receive a Virginia reckless driving ticket?
If so, you need to know about improper driving in Virginia—a law which could totally change the outcome of your ticket.
Most people don’t realize that in Virginia, there’s a difference between improper driving and reckless driving. They also don’t know that you can get a reckless driving ticket changed into improper driving, which can save you a lot of money.
Are you interested in learning more regarding reckless driving and improper driving?
In this article we’ll explain everything you need to know about:
So let’s dive in!
First of all, you should know that the traffic laws change and develop. Additionally, much is up to individual judges' discretion. As of this time of the writing, however, this is the latest information and advice regarding Virginia reckless driving and improper driving tickets.
So to get started, what is reckless driving in Virginia?
In Virginia, reckless driving is defined as “driving at any speed, or in any manner, which endangers life, limb, or property,” regardless of the posted speed limit. This general definition is specifically categorized in Virginia into 17 different kinds of reckless driving, each of which can result in tickets.
Some examples are:
However, the most common reasons for getting charged with reckless driving are:
A ticket for reckless driving based on speed cannot be prepaid, and depending on your location within Virginia, you may be required to appear in court. If you fail to appear for your court date, the judge may issue a warrant for your arrest.
In Virginia, reckless driving is a class 1 criminal misdemeanor. This means, being found guilty of reckless driving results in some pretty severe consequences:
Additionally, the conviction goes on your record for 11 years. This will show up on criminal background checks and could affect employment, housing, and immigration. Suffice to say, you don’t want to be convicted in Virginia of reckless driving.
But what if you’ve already gotten a reckless driving ticket? What can you do?
To answer that question, let’s discuss improper driving in Virginia.
In Virginia, if a judge feels that the driver’s fault is slight, the judge may choose to find the driver “not guilty” of reckless driving, and instead guilty of “improper driving.”
Unlike reckless driving, which is a criminal misdemeanor, improper driving is a mild traffic infraction.
The consequences for improper driving are:
That’s it. No potential license suspension. No potential jail time. No criminal record.
Here’s the catch, however. Police officers in Virginia can only write reckless driving tickets. They cannot write “improper driving” tickets, or tickets for “improper control while driving.” Only the judge (or the prosecuting attorney) can decide to change your charge from reckless driving to improper driving.
So let’s talk about the million dollar question - how to get your reckless driving ticket reduced to improper driving.
As we’ve already said, it’s up to the judge as to whether to change the charge from reckless to improper.
There are, however, things you can do to help your case. Here are our top five recommendations:
Following these five tips can help you get a lighter improper driving sentence, instead of the criminal sentence of reckless driving.
Regardless of the outcome of your trial, you’ll get negative points on your driving record and will want to expunge some of these new demerit points off your license. Read on to learn how!
We hope that the information in this article has clarified the differences between reckless driving and improper driving in Virginia:
You can be charged with reckless driving for many different reasons, but the most common reason is for speeding. After being charged with reckless driving, if a judge feels your guilt is slight, he/she can choose to change your charge from reckless driving to improper driving.
Some things you can do to help your case if you want to know how to get reckless driving reduced are:
Regardless of the outcome of your day in court, Colonial Driving School is here to help.
Voluntarily attending our DMV certified Driver Improvement Clinic will remove 5 demerit points from your license. This can be a big help, regardless of which ticket you end up with. We have in-person classes and fully online options to meet all your driving school needs. All our courses are DMV-approved and provide everything you need to get you back on the road safely.
Give us a call, or explore our website to learn more about how we can meet all your driving instruction needs.