Court Process For Reckless Driving in Newport News

There is nothing about reckless driving charges in Newport News that is unique to that jurisdiction specifically but Virginia itself is a unique state in terms of reckless driving because other states do not have reckless driving by speed necessarily. It generally is just excessive speed, which remains a traffic violation.

So if someone is charged with reckless driving in Virginia it can be a shock when they realize that they are being charged with a criminal charge rather than just a traffic violation. It is at this point that it becomes important for those accused to consult with a Newport News reckless driving lawyer as soon as possible.

Reckless driving cases are usually heard before a judge. If someone decides to appeal their case in Newport News then it will go up to the circuit court where they have the option of it being held in front of a jury.

Prosecutors in Newport News do not handle reckless driving cases at all. Instead, it is the police officer that issued the summons to the driver that will handle it. With that said, police officers are routinely on the hunt for people who are driving recklessly as it is a potentially dangerous offense. Judges as well understand this and they are pretty quick to tell the driver the risks involved with their actions and don’t take these charges lightly at all.

Newport News does not treat reckless driving differently from any other jurisdictions in the Hampton Roads area. All the jurisdictions in this area are pretty harsh on reckless driving.

Someone charged with reckless driving can expect the process to be very similar to the process of receiving a speeding ticket. They will be required to go to court and answer to the charge where the officer will be present as well and they will testify as to what led to the charge in the first place. Someone charged with reckless driving can expect that the judge will probably ask him for any defense that he has. If he has a lawyer then his lawyer can provide this. If not, then the accused can try to defend themselves.

While it is possible for a driver to defend themselves sucessfully, attorneys generally do a better job as they are well aware of the court procedures and what kind of defenses tend to work for the specific judge and what information is relevant and what isn’t. Someone charged with reckless driving can then expect the judge to make a decision with their case and issue a sentence or just dismiss the case or reduce the charge.

Reckless driving is different from other criminal cases because for reckless driving cases, the officer will typically issue the driver a summons instead of placing the driver under arrest. A summons looks very similar to a traffic ticket except that it will say that once the driver signs it, they are accepting the responsibility of appearing in court to answer to the charges. So while they will not be placed under the arrest, they still receive a summon that takes the place of it and acts in the same way.