Reckless Driving Enforcement in Albermarle County

The Albemarle County Virginia sheriff's has announced aggressive reckless driving enforcement and patrols along Seminole Trail (Route 29) in Albemarle County. Drivers along this road are said to routinely ignore posted speed limits of 45 miles per hour, and the number of incidents of traffic accidents are high.

Everyone is supportive of safer roads, but there are parts of this road where it is very easy to naturally gain speed. And given that speed limits along route 29 were recently lowered, there are going to be a lot of Virginia drivers just making an honest mistake who end up with a criminal reckless driving charge.

At the bottom or the article is a strange and possibly telling note: that police also intent to use these vehicle stops to check drivers and vehicles for "secondary violations", which include seat belt violations, equipment problems, and as mention in the video, impaired driving, in addition to speeding or reckless driving by speed.

I wonder exactly what equipment violation would count as a secondary violation? Under the law, a broken tail light or an expired inspection would be a valid primary reason for Virginia police to pull you over. So what else are they hunting for?

Given that reckless driving charges are a significant revenue source for the government, one has to be suspicions that these reckless driving enhanced enforcement patrols are at least partially influenced by a desire to pick up some extra money in a difficult economic environment. And that is a tough thing to do when Virginians, like all Americans are struggling with their own family's economic and job security.
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If you are charged with the crime of reckless driving in Virginia, contact our attorneys for a free consultation. We'll let you know how we can often get your charges reduced to a civil penalty, saving you thousands in fees and insurance costs, and keeping you from getting a permanent criminal record.

The consultation is free, with no further obligation.

Aggressive Reckless Driving Ticketing on Virginia's U.S. 29 Bypass

Virginia police are providing fair warning about aggressive enforcement of driving laws on the U.S. 29 bypass in Amherst, VA. Police are issuing lots of speeding, traffic violation, and criminal reckless driving citations on this road, known for high speed aggressive drivers.

One common reckless driver profile is of students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, racing back to beat the midnight curfew. These students are often from out of state, and don't consider how severe Virginia's reckless driving penalties are.

This ignorance can easily lead to a couple of nights spent in a jail after a high speed reckless driving conviction, thanks to some tough Virginia judges.

Enforcement is going to be further increased as the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office adds new traffic enforcement units with high tech radar monitoring, and fast police vehicles to track down speeders. Specific areas to be patrolled include Virginia route 130 and U.S. 501 and US 60.

Many observers suspect that some of this stepped-up enforcement is partially due to a desire for the increased local revenue these expensive citations bring in, especially when most municipalities are experiencing budget shortfalls.

Regardless of the reasons, behind them, these aggressive patrols will likely continue, so it makes sense to slow down and be careful.

But if you do get busted for a criminal traffic citation, you'll need the help of an experienced Virginia reckless driving defense lawyer.

Virginia Reckless Driving: Emergency Vehicle "Move Over Law"

You can be charged with reckless driving in Virginia for violating what is known as the "move-over law". Under this little-known Virginia traffic law, you are required to move over one lane to the left if you are on a multiple lane highway, and there is an emergency vehicle (police, fire, ambulance) with lights flashing at the side of the road.

If for some reason you are unable to move over safely, or it is only a 2 lane road (one lane in each direction), the law requires to you slow down and proceed with caution.

The reason for this law is primarily the safety of police officers and other emergency safely workers. It is to ensure that they have enough safe distance to do their jobs safely while near from high speed traffic.

That is understandable and reasonable, but it is a simple fact that most Virginia drivers are unaware of this regulation, and of the seriousness of a criminal citation that can result. While being unaware of this requirement is no defense against the criminal charge of reckless driving, an experienced defense lawyer can often get the charge reduced to a non-criminal offense.

In any reckless driving case, the primary goal is to keep you from getting stuck with a criminal record. However, there are some Virginia judges who will insist on jail time for a reckless conviction, so a defense lawyer can be crucial to protecting you from extreme penalties.

In addition, getting your charge reduced can save you significant fines, and points on your driving record that can result in tremendous increases to your auto insurance rates. In most cases, hiring a defense lawyer and getting criminal traffic charges reduced more than pays for itself, just in the dollars the incident will cost you.

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If you are facing a reckless driving charge in Virgina, please contact us for a free consultation on what we can do to fight this criminal charge, and keep your record clean.