At Nichols & Green, our lawyers represent Virginia drivers and out-of-state motorists who have been ticketed for speeding, reckless driving (which is a criminal charge), and other traffic offenses. When defending a speeding ticket, our goal is always to minimize or eliminate the consequences of a ticket and keep our client’s driving record clean. As lawyers who handle hundreds of traffic tickets each year, we know exactly how to deal with yours.

If you are unsure about how to proceed, you should know several important things:

• There are at least 13 different types of speeding tickets in Virginia. There are also countless local county and town ordinances related to speeding, and in Virginia’s national parks, federal speed laws apply. Not all speeding tickets are the same, and not all drivers are affected in the same way by a ticket.
  
  
• Reckless driving by speed is defined as driving more than 20 mph over the speed limit or going faster than 80 mph. Unlike a speeding ticket, reckless driving is a criminal charge and will stay on your permanent criminal record forever. Reckless driving by speed can result in up to 12 months in jail, $2,500 in fines, and a six-month loss of your license.
  
  
• Simple speeding, which carries up to six DMV demerit points, stays on your record for five years and costs up to $312 (double if ticketed in a Highway Safety Corridor or Designated Residential Zone). In Virginia, the fine is calculated in part by using the number of miles per hour above the speed limit.
  
  
• Speeding tickets can have serious effects on your auto insurance premiums that far exceed the cost of court expenses and attorney fees. Speeding tickets that involve an accident can also expose you to civil liability.
  
  

Contact a Defense Lawyer

Every speeding ticket is different, so make sure you understand the consequences of your ticket before prepaying anything. If one of our attorney represents you in a speeding matter, our defense may include challenging the radar, lidar, or the officer’s speedometer calibration; investigating inadequate officer training;  questioning whether the officer checked the accuracy of their speed-measuring device; or challenging the asserted speed limit where you were driving. Our attorney can also negotiate with the prosecution to amend the charge to a less severe offense.

Contact Nichols & Green for a free consultation about your speeding or reckless driving ticket.