Colonial Heights Traffic Lawyer
If you are facing charges for a traffic violation in the Richmond area, hiring an experienced Colonial Heights criminal lawyer may be essential to obtaining a favorable outcome in your traffic offense case.
Why Hire a Colonial Heights Traffic Attorney
Even the most careful drivers have received a traffic ticket at some point. Because traffic tickets are common, many simply pay the fine on the ticket and move on. People fail to contact a Richmond traffic lawyer and willingly pay a ticket straight away because they think that the offense won’t affect them in the long-run. If a driver does not contest a traffic violation and pays the fine, he or she is pleading guilty to the violation, which immediately attaches to the drivers driving record and can wreak havoc on the price of their insurance premiums.
Hiring an accomplished traffic lawyer in Colonial Heights can help analyze your legal position and can present you with the pros and cons of several alternatives to simply paying the fine, ultimately affording both your driving record and driving privileges greater protection.
How Virginia’s Traffic Point System Works
Virginia Code section 46.2-492 is known as the Uniform Demerit Point System and assigns point values to various traffic violation, based on the severity of the offense and the potential hazardous exposure the offense has on other drivers on the roads.
In Virginia, three categories of traffic violations exist based on a point system:
- A 3-point violation is the least serious offense, which includes offenses such as:
- Improper driving;
- A speeding conviction of one to nine miles per hour above the speed limit;
- Improper passing; and
- Failure to obey highway signs.
- A 4-point violation is a relatively serious traffic offense and includes:
- Failure to yield the right-of-way;
- Speeding between ten and nineteen miles per hour above the speed limit
- Failure to stop when entering a highway or at a stop sign;
- Disobeying traffic signals; and,
- Aggressive driving
- A 6- point violation is the most serious of the three categories and consists of:
- Driving while intoxicated;
- Reckless driving;
- Speeding twenty or more miles per hour above the speed limit;
- Racing;
- Driving in excess of 80 mph;
- Passing emergency vehicles or buses; and,
- Improperly signaling and failing to maintain control.
Our Colonial Heights traffic lawyers can represent drivers who have been charged with any of the above traffic violations.
Potential Penalties
Depending on the severity of the offense, a driver facing a traffic violation may be charged with a misdemeanor or felony, leading to increased fines and potential jail time. For example, reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which can result in a potential fine of $2,500, a potential jail sentence of up to 12 months, and a license suspension of up to six months.
The state can suspend or revoke your license for a variety of the above violations including reckless driving, driving while intoxicated, and excessive accumulation of demerit points.
If an individual has accumulated more than 18 points in one year or 24 points in two years, the state can suspend his or her license. Points can accumulate quickly, which is why hiring an experienced Colonial Heights traffic attorney who can guide you toward the best resolution in your case is important.
Work with a Traffic Attorney Today
Whether you are facing a driving-under-the-influence charge or a speeding ticket, an experienced traffic lawyer in Colonial Heights can provide high quality representation and can take action to protect your best interests in court. If you have been charged with a traffic infraction in Colonial Heights, don’t hesitate to contact one of our firm’s traffic lawyers.
