The Commonwealth of Virginia prosecutes the act of speeding seriously harshly. Usually, there is viewed a quite thin line between the concept of speeding and reckless driving offense. You must be aware that out-of-state drivers may not be familiar with the speed limit at which one not only bears a ticket, but also the more significant charge of VA reckless driving ticket out of state, which is a class 1 misdemeanor, viz. a criminal offense. Consequently, it carries severe monetary charges, license suspension, and even possible jail time.
In case, you are an out of state driver as well as have been accused of speeding or VA reckless driving ticket out of state charges, then you must retain a well-versed, reputable criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible to obtain the best possible outcome in your favor and minimize the punishment. As per Virginia’s Driving Code statute § 46.2-862. Exceeding Speed Limit:
“An individual shall be guilty of the reckless driving offense who drives an auto vehicle on the highways in the Commonwealth of Virginia (i) at a speed of 20 mph or more than the applicable highest speed limit or (ii) more than 80 mph irrespective of the applicable highest speed limit.”
As per above explanation, when a driver from a state other than Virginia is driving in the Virginia State at the speed of 71 mph on the highway where the highest applicable speed limit is 50 mph, then the individual would be charged with VA reckless driving ticket out of state.
In case, an out-of-state driver has suffered an auto-accident, they must take following three vital steps:
- CAPTURE IMAGES OF THE EVENTS. Once you have verified the good condition of all the people involved in the accident, the following is to take as many photos as you consider necessary to have the details of the events (If possible, record videos and detail everything that happened). Cell phones allow you to perform all those activities without major inconveniences. These photos and videos will allow the authorities to analyze what happened and point out responsibilities. In the same way, they protect you from possible claims to auto insurance.
- REQUEST INFORMATION. You should try to get as much information as possible. The name of the drivers involved, home addresses, telephone numbers or license numbers, and detail of VA reckless driving ticket out of state (if occurred) are of vital importance in case you need to make a claim to your insurance company.
- REPORT THE ACCIDENT TO YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY. Regardless of the seriousness of what happened, you should report the accident as soon as possible to your company or auto insurance agent so that the inquiries can be started as soon as possible. Do not make the mistake of not giving the importance of the case to minor accidents, because you never know the real damage that has had the engineering and mechanics of your vehicle or when you can make evident the problems caused by the accident.