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Prince William County Speeding Tickets for Out-of-State Drivers

Hiring a Prince William County speeding ticket lawyer is optimal to reducing not only the stress of a court appearance for a traffic violation, but also for mitigating the consequences and potentially even reducing or having the charges dropped entirely. This is especially important for out-of-state drivers who might not be able to make their court appearance, as a Prince William County traffic attorney can attend court for them on their behalf. To discuss what steps may be taken for your case, call and schedule a consultation today.

Getting a Speeding Ticket in Virginia

If you are an out-of-state driver with a speeding ticket in Prince William County, it is important to contact an attorney licensed to practice in Virginia. An out-of-state lawyer is outside of his jurisdiction so he will not be able to do anything except for maybe tell you what the law is, though this is unreliable, as laws are different in other states.

Out-of-state drivers should consider hiring a Prince William County speeding ticket lawyer because that person will be able to appear in court on their behalf to argue the charges and can also help the out-of-state driver understand exactly what the impact of these charges would be if they resulted in a conviction. They can explain what your options are and help you make the best decision for your case.

Virginia’s Uniform Demerit Point System

In Virginia, the uniform demerit point system is used to assess demerit points on driving records. Anyone who drives in the Commonwealth on a valid Virginia driver’s license is subject to the system. The DMV has assigned a particular number of points for each offense, which can be found online. Depending on what you are charged with, each particular offense stays on your record for a certain amount of time. The number of points varies from offense to offense, but all of the points disappear within two years after they are accumulated.

Consequences of Points Accumulation

The consequences of getting too many points in a short period of time are that your license can become suspended. Generally, 18 points within a year or 24 points within two years is considered to be too many. Some offenses which are more serious have more points, whereas lower, minor offenses have fewer points.

If you get a handful of minor offenses it is the same effect as getting one or two major offenses, which is something to keep in mind when you are thinking about whether your license is going to be suspended. It does take some time for the points to disappear and go back to zero. For every positive year of driving behavior, which means no new convictions have been accumulated, you get one positive point back on your record.

How to Mitigate Points on Your License

If you have not been ordered by the court to take a driver improvement course, then you can voluntarily take it every two years, which will give you five positive points on your driver’s record.

As far as your insurance goes, the DMV notifies your insurance as soon as they are made aware of any new convictions, which can cause your insurance rates to go up for three years. Every single state has its own demerit point system so other jurisdictions do not apply ours, and we do not apply our system to anyone else.

Possibility of Challenging Points Assessed to License

You cannot challenge points on the license. You can only drive well for one year to get a positive point back or take the driver improvement course for five positive points.

However, you can challenge the convictions that led to the points within ten days of the conviction. You can appeal or you can have the case reopened within 60 days to challenge the charges, but unless the charges are removed, the points are going to stay.

How a Prince William Speeding Ticket Lawyer Can Help

A Prince William County speeding lawyer can help you get your driving privileges back by helping you petition the court for a restricted driver’s license if your driving privileges have been jeopardized. Generally, driving privileges are jeopardized due to an accumulation of too many points, which can happen from too many traffic violations.

The best thing to do is to get an attorney from the very beginning. That way they can help you avoid the conviction or the consequences for these traffic violations, so that you do not lose your driving privileges in the first place. If it is too late, then you can petition the court for a restricted license, which will allow you drive to and from school, work, doctor appointments, and religious services.

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