Speed Limit Laws in Chesterfield
A speed limit is a speed calculated in mile per hour that is assigned to a certain road or street by the government. A person has to follow the speed limit unless there is an affirmative defense to doing so. It is important to follow the speed limit laws in Chesterfield in order to avoid a speeding or reckless driving offense. Consequences for reckless driving offenses include potential fines, license suspension, and points on your license. If you have been charged with a reckless driving offense, a skilled reckless driving lawyer could advocate for you, and mitigate some of the penalties that you face.
Different Kinds of Speed Limits
There are three different kinds of speed limits, absolute speed limits, presumed speed limits, and basic speed limits. An absolute speed limit would be the general speed throughout the city and/or state if there is no posted speed limit. When there is no posted speed, the speed within the state is 55. Within the city, the speed limit is 55 and 35 on unpaved roads. That is going to be the speed limit unless otherwise posted. There is no presumed speed limit in Virginia. With basic speed limits, a person cannot drive faster than is safe based on current road and climate conditions.
What is the Basic Speed Limit?
Speed limit laws in Chesterfield are not presumed or basic. Instead, Chesterfield has an absolute speed limit. In reckless driving cases, it is always the responsibility of the driver to operate their vehicle in a safe manner according to the conditions of the road. Sometimes in certain situations, a person can be charged with a reckless driving where they are not speeding per se and not doing anything that would be breaking the speed limit law, but they are not operating their vehicle in a safe fashion due to the conditions of the road.
That happens sometimes to somebody who is driving the speed limit coming down the highway through the city and there is snow or ice on the ground. Perhaps they are driving the speeding limit in a Ferrari that did not have great traction on icy conditions. They can be charged with reckless driving based on their speed because the Commonwealth will argue that their speed was not safe for the road conditions.
Highest Speed Limits in Chesterfield
When it comes to speed limit laws in Chesterfield, the highest speed limit in the city is 65 miles per hour on the highway. There are some general risks when speeding on the highways. Chesterfield is a very small area compared to the surrounding counties. When a person is coming through the city, they are not going to have that much room on the highway, because it is very congested. When a person is trying to speed within the city on the highways, it is normally going to include weaving in traffic. There is a lot of heavy traffic on the highways. Because of MTV VCU, and Virginia Union, which are all within the city, there is a lot of traffic going through. Speeding can lead to very bad accidents. There is always some kind of jam on I-64 or 80, and 95. That is a problem as far a person’s legal risk.
Risks That Come With Speeding
The biggest risk a person is going to have with speeding on a highway is reckless driving. When speeding on I-65 in a 65-mile-per-hour zone, most people operate under the myth that they can hover anywhere from 10 over to 50 and over. If the speed limit is 65 and they are hovering 50 over, then they are going to be getting close to 80. When they are in the 80 range, they are at the risk of being pulled over not only for speeding but for reckless by speeding. That is going to be a person’s biggest risk for speeding on the highway illegally. They turn quickly because the highways are wider and since they are more open there is more room to drive fast. A person’s biggest risk is that their traffic stop will turn into a reckless driving ticket. Going with the flow of traffic is never a defense to speed. It is only mitigation. If an individual faces speeding offenses or has any questions about speed limit laws in Chesterfield, they should consult a skilled reckless driving lawyer that could build a solid case for them.
