I'm not here to give excuses for it, condone it, revel in it or even be happy about it. 86 mph ticket on Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) as it's a manditory court date ... anyone have a recommendation for an attorney?

Throwing myself on the court,

- Jim

 

See the following for some info https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ginia+speeding

 

Thank you for the thread reference. I didn't see any listed practices in that thread. I am attempting to follow the "drill" about getting suitable council for the ticket as outlined in the thread and I was just asking the group if anyone had any specific recommendations for a practice locally.

I'm just hoping to minimize the damage and walk away poorer, ashamed and smarter for it.

 

plea not guilty, attack certification of the euipment!! thats what I am doing!!

 

At the driving school last weekend one of our instructors told us she got out of a ticket by saying something along the lines of "speeding has never been fatal, crashing has". But something tells me that wouldn't work well.

 

Been there, but not in Fairfax County.

Bottom line, don't ever get caught doing more than 79 mph in Virginia - 80+ mph is automatically a reckless. Even in a 65 mph zone. Blah.

The other automatic reckless rule is 20 mph over the limit. So basically, you can get away as a non-reckless ticket with 19 mph over in any speed zone in VA, EXCEPT for 65 mph zones, where it's only 14 mph over.

This is the whole reason I am a member of the National Motorists Association, because they fight for motorist rights against ridiculous and nonsense laws like this.

I have a bad record myself, lots of speeding tickets... no accidents though. I am not really "proud" of my record, but I have no problem discussing it, if only to be able to share my experiences and knowledge too. :smile:

 

Hi Jim -

That really sucks. I had a friend that got pulled over for doing 80 on the toll road and luckily, she told me about it. Now I really watch my speed there, but it's tough not to hover around 80+ and our MINIs don't really blend in to the other vehicles (no "zebra" defense for us!).

At any rate, the friend of mine that was pulled over for that 80mph had to go to court. She had a clean driving record (no other speeding tickets) and the judge tossed her fine out. I think she still had to pay court costs, but it was less than $100. I'm not sure, but I think you'd be wasting your time and money obtaining legal representation for a speeding ticket.

Show up, dress nice, be polite and act contrite. As long as you haven't been to court before for a speeding ticket, you'll probably get out of there without having to pay, or having to pay much.

And about that #$*& toll road. If I have to pay to drive on it, why can't I drive how I want on it?? Yeah, yeah, I know. But *grrrr*.

 

*ouch* Well, after reading the thread that chows4us posted, I don't know... I'm going to check with my friend again to get the full details of her court case. They are making it sound pretty serious on that thread! More so than I thought. Might not want to take my advice just yet!

 

Don't EVER go without representation. I speak from VAST experience.

 

I have a family friend who helps me out in these situations...


T. Farrell Egge 703.765.0444 You can tell him Mike Whitley sent you. If he can't help, he probably can recommend someone who can. Don't show up in court without a lawyer, and... wear a nice suit and be very, very polite.
Mike

 

Thank you all for the commiseration and the contacts. I appreciate the "show up and be polite" thing without a lawyer idea, alas due to the serious ramafications if I catch a judge on an off day I am compelled to secure the services of an attorney. By "ramafications" I am not saying that I think I will end up in jail, or that it will cost me too much ... it's an employment issue, nuff said? good.

Again, thank you all for your words and advice. Much appreciated.

As to driving 80+ on the Toll Road ... I, I, I, I think that's another thread for me/us. I enjoy my Mini ... I do. I enjoy what it does and can do. I wish there was a way to enjoy it everyday at it's full potential. Alas, that is not a Country we live in (much the less State). I understand why that's true for both good and bad reasons. Regardless it still makes me the tinest bit dissappointed about the world we occupy. As I said, maybe another thread for that huge and convoluted topic.

 

Our insurance agent has warned us that our coverage will be dropped for a single excessive speed/reckless driving conviction. Good luck!

 

While not everyday by a longshot, I'm still enjoying the afterglow of the Track day last weekend. Perahaps some occasional track days and or autocross can 'take the edge off'

 

I think i've posted this somewhere, but i was in the car with a guy that was fascinated by the fact that i not only melted into a puddle when i saw his car, but i knew how to drive it, and was able to talk about it because i wanted/looked up/learned about similar parts on my previous car :P Well, he decided to show off, and went (very very very) fast and then drifted into a parking lot. Cop pulls up behind us when we get into the drive thru lane at Wendy's, and gives him a reckless ticket. BUT, the cop only saw him giong fast, and drifting into the lot... he couldn't clock him. So he got the ticket reduced to improper control!

I TRIED to help Soofle (who also got a speeding ticket) chill out about it and showed him similar examples and outcomes of other tickets in the area. He ended up getting off pretty well, IIRC. Good luck with yours... i know not to speed, period :P

 

My brother recently got *two* reckess driving tickets for speeding within a month of each other! Both were on the Dulles Toll Road. First thing he did was get a deferment from the courts to seek legal councel. This gave him a couple of extra months to figure things out. And he said that it was a simple matter of filling out a form and giving it to the court clerk. He then hired a local lawyer. I think he charged $650 to handle both cases.

Long story short, he got both reduced to speeding, and was fined $150 for each speeding ticket. It's a good amount, but a lot better than what reckless would have been!

If you want more details, PM me and I'll put you into contact with him. He'll be more than happy to share his experience!

-Paul!