Fines Going Up on I-81?

According to an article in the Daily News Record, there is an effort to designate part of Interstate 81 in Page and Shenandoah County as a Highway Safety Corridor, due to some recent serious accidents.

If approved, the designation of a Highway Safety Corridor by the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth would impose doubled fines for speeding, reckless driving, and other traffic citations in that area. There is a full analysis process that must be completed before such a designation is approved.

There has been spate of serious accidents along that stretch of I-81, many involving tractor trailers, whose drivers are a primary target of Highway Safety Corridor enforcement penalties.

Reckless driving fines range from $300-$500, so doubling that fine is significant. Of course, a reckless driving offense is also a criminal charge, so the implication of a reckless conviction are far beyond the substantial costs involved.

UPDATE: Another good story on this stretch of -I81 and the rate of accidents in the Northern Virginia Daily here.

Thousands of Motorists Across Virginia Charges and Cited in Traffic Crackdown

Over the July 9-10 weekend, the Virginia State Police ticketed over 8000 motorists in another installment of "Operation Air, Land and Speed". The massive effort and enhanced patrols across Interstate 95 and 81 also resulted in more than 700 criminal citations for reckless driving, as well as drug violations, DUI charges, and felony arrests.

The Superintendent of the Virginia State Police made the claim that they wish there were no police traffic stops, since that would indicate that all drivers were observing posted speed limits and maintaining safe driving habits. But that claim is hard to believe, given that number of citations raises about a million dollars for the state. Not to mention the hours of police overtime (paid for by the federal government) that these extra police patrols generate.

If you are caught up in one of these enhanced traffic enforcement campaigns, or face any Virginia criminal traffic charge, please contact us today for a legal case evaluation, and an honest assessment of what you can do to protect your record, your driver's license, and your wallet.

Richmond Hit & Run Leaves Boy Stunned and Police Searching

The ice cream truck, a clear sign that summer is on the horizon. Earlier this week, children on Thorndale Lane lined up to get their sweet treats when a black Jeep came into the neighborhood, seemingly unaware of the presence of neighborhood children.

Eleven year old Chris was among the children when he was hit by the Jeep and knocked to the ground. The rearview mirror hit Chris on the side of the face and sent him to street level. The driver of the Jeep stopped briefly but didn’t stick around for authorities.

According to this report from NBC12, adult Jeremiah Mayo was accompanying some of the children and witnessed the hit and run. He stated the driver waited for Chris to get back to his feet before leaving but added there are many children in the neighborhood and the driver should have been more cautious.

The neighborhood children are taking away a lesson from the accident, that even though they see a vehicle doesn’t mean the driver of that vehicle sees them. Police are still looking for the driver of the black Jeep.

Hit and run is one of several criminal traffic offenses that is far more serious than a simple speeding ticket. If involved in an accident, you are required by law to remain on the scene, provide assistance, and wait for authorities. Failure to do this could result in criminal charges.

Likewise, reckless driving is a common criminal traffic offense. It is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail. There are ways to beat a criminal charge like this but how we go about it depends on the specific circumstances of your case.

If you are facing criminal traffic charges and in need of an experienced local Virginia defense attorney, call me today for a free consultation on your case.

Speeding & Reckless Driving Crackdowns in Virginia

One wonders what prompts news reports of enhanced enforcement of traffic violations and reckless driving laws in Virgina.

Is there any difference between enhanced enforcement and regular patrols? If so, what factors invoke the need for extra efforts in these safety enforcement operations that the Virginia state police is so fond of publicizing?

It is understandable that press releases make news, and may help drivers think twice about their careless driving, and the impact it will have.

But it is it just publicity, or are there actual extra patrols unleashed at certain times? Because the publicity effect and value is probably the same whether enforcement efforts are really any different.

Just an honest question.

But, from this news we did learn that:

• On 1-64, the ratio of regular speeding tickets to criminal reckless driving citations is just under 7 to 1 (1700/251).
• While on I-66, the speeding to reckless citation ratio is 5 1/2 to 1 (680/123).
• Some small percentage of traffic stops result in felony drug charges.

What does it all mean? Does any of this really inform a driver's behavior? Or is it column filling pseudo info for newspapers, and busywork for the state police public relations department.

---
If you are stopped for reckless driving or arrested and charged with a crime in Virginia, please contact our attorneys for a free case evaluation and consultation.

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.

---
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.

Fredericksburg VA Finds New Uses for Licence Plate Scanners

There is a new effort to collect personal property (vehicle) and real estate taxes in Fredericksburg, VA. Police are using license plate scanning technology to spot residents with unpaid fees and fines, and boot their cars until the fees are settled.

The automatic license plate scanner system that is at the heart of the smartboot technology scans the plates of the cars as the police vehicle passes by them. The plate numbers are matched with a database of known citizens with outstanding payments due, whether for taxes or outstanding parking tickets. If a match is found, the officer is instantly alerted inside the vehicle, he stops, and places one of these boots on your car to immobilize it until you pay the fees owed.

According to the article the city of Fredericksburg has already paid for the system in increased fees collected.

License plate scanning technology is more commonly used by police departments to locate cars that have been reported stolen, as well as drivers who may have suspended driver's licenses, or outstanding criminal court warrants. Government and law enforcement authorities are easily able to identify cars or drivers with legal issues via database matches, they can flag the vehicle in these systems to be notified if it is scanned and located.

Similar systems are in use in Richmond and are becoming increasingly common across Virginia.

---
If you are charged with a criminal offense in Virginia, please contact our attorneys for a free criminal defense legal consultation.

Hampton Roads, VA Targeted for Traffic Offenses

The Virginia State Police announced operation air, land and speed, targeted for the Hampton Roads area. This event consists of stepped up enforcement of traffic regulations, including speeding and reckless driving, expired inspection stickers, and whatever else they can dig up.
You can bet that it means if you are pulled over for any reason this weekend on I-64, I-264, I-464, or I-664, you won't be getting off with a warning. Typically when these events are publicized, they are looking to have some impressive traffic statistics to show for their efforts. And with that comes a significant boost in revenue from fines and fees to the state.
The stated reason for this increased traffic enforcement effort is the increase in traffic fatalities in the Hampton Roads area, which is certainly a worthy goal. But gratuitous criminal citations for the toughest reckless driving laws in the county are unlikely to help anything but a mistrust of police authority.
If you are facing any traffic charge in Virginia, contact us for a free legal consultation.