Traffic Defense Lawyer: Virginia Traffic Laws You Need to Know

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Virginia driving laws are important to follow. Unfortunately, not everyone in that state has gotten this message.

The Old Dominion has more reckless driving incidents per capita than any other state and has the second-highest number of speeding tickets in the country. With that in mind, it is important to know what the most important traffic laws are in this state.

If you receive a traffic ticket for violating one of these laws, you may need to look into hiring a traffic attorney in Fairfax, VA.

What can a traffic ticket defense attorney tell you? Here is your guide.

Reckless Driving

One of the first Virginia traffic laws you should know about is reckless driving. The official definition of this is ignoring maximum speed limits in certain areas and putting drivers and pedestrians around you at risk with your driving actions.

This is typically left up to the officers that give you a traffic ticket in the first place. By the letter of the law, they have to believe your driving would have endangered lives or increased the risk of serious injury to those around you.

When it comes to speed limits, there are two concrete scenarios where driving a certain speed is considered reckless driving.

The first is if you are driving more than 85 miles per hour regardless of where you are. The second scenario is if you are driving more than 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

If you get hit with this type of traffic ticket, contact a Virginia criminal defense attorney immediately.

Maximum Speed Limit Violations

The type of vehicle you are driving may play a part in whether you are violating this law or not. For example, a tractor truck can only drive 45 miles per hour in areas where a regular car or bus can drive 55 miles per hour.

There are certain highways where the state lets you drive 60 miles per hour. However, the maximum speed you will be allowed to go in any part of this state is 70 miles per hour.

If you are going way over the speed limit in one of these areas, you are likely going to get handed a speeding ticket. If you want to contest this ticket or at least minimize your penalties, you will need to contact a traffic defense lawyer.

Minimum Speed Limit Violations

This is a little more complicated than maximum speed limit violations because, generally, there is not a set speed limit you have to go throughout the state. Generally, this is a judgment call by your local law enforcement.

Because this can vary in different areas of a major highway, each town in the state might have its own speed limit. To avoid violating this law, you may want to get an idea of what the maximum speed limit is in that area and just drive as close to that as possible.

Virginia considers minimum speed limit violations to be anything that interferes with the general flow of traffic except in situations such as roadside accidents where slowing down is necessary. The bottom line, be aware of your surroundings when you are driving on highways in this state.

School Crossings

One area where you definitely want to respect traffic laws is if you are driving by a school crossing. In Virginia, this is generally considered to be any area that is in the vicinity of a school.

Normally, the maximum speed limit in these areas of Virginia is going to be 25 miles per hour. However, there can be special circumstances when this goes down to as low as 15 miles per hour. Those circumstances normally occur if a specific local ordinance and school board agree to pass this.

The best thing you can do in one of these areas is to drive through slowly. This is especially the case if you are not sure if the speed limit is 25 miles per hour or 15 miles per hour in that school.

Local courts may give you a bigger fine and more points on your driver’s license for traffic violations near schools. In this situation, you will want to reach out to a Virginia traffic attorney.

Driving on the Right Side

This law is mainly in place for those of you that are driving on highways. It specifically states that in normal driving conditions, you should be driving on the right side of the highway.

There are a few reasons for this. The left lane is mainly considered a passing lane.

On top of this, the left lane is generally used by police officers and other emergency vehicles to get to their destination faster. Keeping that lane mostly clear can make it easier for those vehicles.

Plus, if you get into an accident on a highway, you are required to move your vehicle off of the road if it is reasonably safe to do so. With that in mind, having your car closer to the right side of the highway would make this easier.

Failure to follow this law can be a $100 fine.

Hire a Traffic Attorney in Fairfax, VA

These are some of the Virginia traffic laws that you should be aware of if you are driving through this state. Some of the most serious traffic laws tend to involve reckless driving, violating a speed limit, and going too fast through a school crossing.

If you are accused of any of this, you may be looking for affordable traffic lawyers in Virginia. Well, you are in luck if you want a traffic attorney in Fairfax, VA.

Get in touch with us to find a traffic 22030 lawyer.