rrich49132

I just got a ticket going 86 in a 55 this morning driving to Leesburg, VA from Arlington on the Dulles Toll RD where there where not cars and a cop snuck up behind me and got me on radar. He said since 20+ mph that is is a reckless driving ticket and I have to show up in court. I am screwed do I need to hire a lawyer and this is the only ticket in like 4 yrs I have had. Anyone out there have gotten snagged? I was not weaving in my lane just going fast and have heard that the court typically less the fine to under 20 mph to just a speeding ticket if you where not reckless but just going fast and in control?

JJB622

Definitely hire a lawyer, the additional cost up front will be worth it since a good one can probably get you out of the ticket and your insurance won't rise. Also a Valentine 1 is cheap insurance compared to the hastle of dealing with the courts and rising insurance cost, i just got pulled over also and am regreting not having that. Its tough because these cars definitely do not go unnoticed by law enforcement lol.

sick430

Its all about the V1 i got mine after being taged at just over 90 on my way to Mexico for the weekend. this was like a year and half ago. When i got back i bought the V1 (and not something cheaper) cause while rolling in the E55 (has the V1) down the 210 i started having fun with this guy in a vette. till the arrows told me that there was a cop up in front, I stoped the vette got stopped. Buy it it maybe pricey but i dont drive in a car with out it. good luck with the ticket.

rrich49132

Thanks guys but radar detectors are illegal in VA. I am going to make some phone calls Monday am curious what it costs for a lawyer to represent? I have a good driving record so my hopes are they just cut the ticket in half so it is just a regular speeding ticket and not reckless drving which would be hell for my insurance premiums.

ten2 four

Sometimes cops are just annoying..its all about luck..
sorry buddy, just get a well known lawyer and you'll be just fine..by well known I mean, Really, WELL known.
Shouldn't be more then 200-300$ for the ticket if you know the right people and get the right pricing. (IN NY anyways, I dont know any VA Laws)
But dude, get a V1, and I promise you this will never happen again.
(P.S. Do a search on the VG-1 Protection the V1 gives you.)
Nathan

rrich49132

Thanks guys like I said I live in Virginia where they ban Radar detectors and the fine for getting caught with one is very extreme. I am hoping to just plea the ticket to speeding under 20mph so it is not reckless and agree that hiring a lawyer for a few hundred is the way to go. I have googled a few local attorney that deal with DWI and tickets who seem to be good. Hope they price would come in around $300 or so as all they need to do is show up for a few minutes. I did read that in Fairfax VA that they do not allow people to talk to the DA and get a deal but an attorney can and i would assume it would be a 1 minute converstation saying hey what can you do for us if we just plea this thing out and not waste anyones time. Hope this all works out as I am scared seeing that you can get your license suspended for 6 months and they treat this on the point systems the same as a DWI.

ten2 four

Good luck.
Nathan
p.s. dont sweat it.

acb3nz

Good luck with everything.

CLK430girl

VA cops are notorious for snaggin' folks...Good luck with everything...

ACB....like the new pic, really shows off the color of your car!! nice....

blackbenzz

They got you too huh? FFX county sucks for reckless tickets. DEFINITELY get a lawyer unless you dont mind spending some time in jail. Get a built in radar/laser detector and the cops will never know

acb3nz

^^^Listen to the master

E55Freak

The same thing happened to me. i was clocked at 85 in a 55. I actually passed the unmarked police car without realizing it. No need to hire a laywer. Anything over 20mph is automatic court appearance. Anyway, they reduced mine to a lesser offense since I haven't had a ticket in about the same time as you. I had to pay $275 (could've been more). Don't sweat it. I think hiring a lawyer is a dumb move. you'll pay 4x as much to him for what the magistrate or judge will do anyway, reduce it. You may take a hit on your insurance but that already happened when you got your CLK. These cars instantly go to almost the highest level on the insurance scale. My CLK almost doubled my insurance when we got it...

blackbenzz

No offense, but you dont know about fairfax county. If you dont believe me, go sit in a courtroom before your trial date and see what happens to people that are charged with reckless and dont have a lawyer. LISTEN TO ME! Fairfax county is THE WORST place for speeding.

raymond g-

acb3nz - what color/code is your ride. is it custom painted? haven't seen that
shade on a benz before. tnx

rrich49132

I will definately get a lawyer thanks Blackbenz so you have had to go to court in Fairfax county?

blackbenzz

Yes!

rrich49132

So why is Fairfax country so harsh? I just hope I can get a good lawyer and get the ticket reduced to 19+ so it is not reckless and screw up my driving record for insurance. This is my only violation in about 4 yrs. I am going to make some phone calls this week and hire someone and hope it is not too expensive under $500 hopefully can get me into some sort of deal. I am open to anything to get the reckless down and shall see. Guess I learned my lesson driving on the toll road at 8:00 am on a Saturday morning with no one on the road not having any clue how fast I was going since I was not passing cars and was in my lane. I did not pass a radar trap but somehow he must of been behind me and clocked me.

acb3nz

acb3nz - what color/code is your ride. is it custom painted? haven't seen that
shade on a benz before. tnx[/QUOTE]


The color of the car is bordeux red and the hood is carbon fiber painted with candy apple red and red pearl.

Look at this thread has better pictures scroll down https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...t=1219&page=29

Whodat

My experience has been if you take the time to show up in court, you'll get a lesser offense (regular speeding). I got caught in King George (VA) in my Turbo Probe. I showed up and didn't even say anything and the judge knocked it down. That being said, KING GEORGE IS A FAR CRY FROM FAIRFAX.
I don't think you need a lawyer but BB has actually been in court there so maybe you should heed his advice. Get a copy of your driving record and take it to court with you, especially if not represented. And good luck.

rrich49132

Thanks Whodat I have been really stressed out as I have heard the reckless driving is a misdemeanor that goes on your record. I am worried about that and that my insurance might cancel me when I renew in May. Oh by the way I too have a black 2000 CLK Cab just like yours. How long have you had yours and what kind of mileage do you have? Mine has 40K miles and sits in the garage mostly during the cold months as I have a 2nd car but not this weekend.

software

Good luck in Fairfax county!

Speed limits are damned annoying. This brings an old NWA song to mind.

chem1441

Ive been pulled over twice for going 20+ over the speed limit. I was not required to go to court, and there was no reckless driving charge...so I guess it depends on the officer. In both cases, I got probation, no points. But somehow Geico found out about it, and they raised my rate even though I had no MVA points. Thats been the most expensive part of the ordeal...

blackbenzz

Cuz you werent in Fairfax county, I'm telling you, they are the WORST!

rrich49132

Yep I will tell you all how it goes but Fairfax county is bad. I have spend the last two days talking to lawyers and did decide on one. It is costing me $1000 and it will be well worth it as I could get screwed without one. He said that in Fairfax county you cant talk to the government attorney and get a deal only a lawyer can. Also all have told me that if you go over 90 mph they throw you in jail for each mph over without an attorney. He is having me get my speedometer checked as he said it could help if it is off by 5 mph or so as Mercedes are know to have faulty readings. He said I will be fine and that he can get it dropped to 19mph over and get the points in half to 3 but it is a class one misdemeanor but is dropped in most cases and can go on your record for life most dont know that so one should not mess around when they get snagged. I have been very worried but have a good driving record and have a professional image and job and lastly was very polite to the officer which is key as if you are rude that it will count against you. Will learn a costly lesson from this and all of you reading should realize the ramifications of speeding. It is hard as this car drives at 80+ mph the same as it does at 40 mph and like I said there where no cars on the road so I had no flow of traffic in which if I was passing everyone I would have realized how fast I was going. Guess I need to learn how to use the cruise control.

acb3nz

Thank you mami....