Dumfries Traffic Lawyer

A traffic offense in Dumfries is any charge, either a civil infraction or misdemeanor, involving violating the laws governing motor vehicles and their use in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Although these offenses may seem minor in nature, they have the potential to impact not only your license but in certain cases, your freedom as well. With this in mind, if you have been charged with a traffic offense, it is important you contact a Dumfries traffic lawyer to see how you might be able to have the charges dismissed or reduced. Additionally, an experienced attorney may be able to assist in building a defense and ensuring your rights are protected throughout the legal process.

Potential Penalties

Traffic infractions are most commonly punishable by a fine. However, the more serious types of traffic charges in Dumfries, such as reckless speeding, reckless failure to maintain control, passing a school bus, racing, or aggressive driving, are things that potentially come with a criminal record as well. Potential penalties for these types of crimes also include a loss of driving privileges in Virginia, as well as jail time in certain circumstances.

A traffic infraction will be considered a misdemeanor if it is one of the particular kinds of traffic crimes which are enumerated by the Virginia Code. As a Dumfries traffic attorney can explain, this includes reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, driving without a valid operator’s license, or a DUI.

A traffic charge will only be considered a felony if it is one of the most serious types of traffic charges prohibited by law in Virginia. This includes a third or subsequent DUI offense as well as vehicular manslaughter, DUI manslaughter, and a hit and run.

Reckless Driving

A common traffic charge that is more serious than one might think is reckless driving and reckless speeding. If a person is driving 20 miles an hour or more over the speed limit or driving 80 miles an hour regardless of the speed limit, they are guilty of reckless driving in Virginia.

Reckless driving is a criminal offense in Dumfries, Virginia that requires a trial and relatively serious penalties. A reckless driving traffic charge can cause life sentence license suspension and even incarceration in certain circumstances. Additionally, every case will have a significant impact on an individual’s insurance which makes it extremely important that a traffic attorney in Dumfries is contacted as soon as possible.

Defense Strategies

When defending a traffic charge, it is important to know all of the facts and circumstances that surrounded both the stop as well as any charges made subsequently. Understanding the elements of those charges, how a violation of any constitutional rights may affect the legitimacy of evidence or the case, and what the most commonly used tactics by the prosecution are, play a role in determining the best way to defend these cases.

Contact a Dumfries Traffic Attorney

Someone facing a routine traffic stop can contact a traffic lawyer to determine how serious a conviction of the charge might be for them under their particular circumstances.

It is difficult to generalize about what the consequences might be. It varies from one person to another and their priorities. For example, it is more important to contact an attorney if a person holds a lot of points, has a Commercial Driver’s License, or even have a security clearance that they are worried about. This is the kind of analysis that a person should undertake with the benefit of a Dumfries traffic lawyer to determine whether they need representation.