Stafford County Reckless Driving

Located within the greater Washington D.C. metro area, Stafford County sees many reckless driving cases along I-95 where traffic is frequently frustrating – clogged, congested, and slow. Law enforcement is frequently looking for traffic offenders and a reckless driving charge can be a damaging price to pay for a moment’s relief in passing someone. Virginia’s general district courts all handle cases differently while still abiding by the basic Commonwealth laws, so Stafford County’s prosecutors and judges will view and handle reckless driving very differently than in Arlington County or other local areas also located on I-95.

Reckless driving in Stafford County is extremely serious. Since reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, it’s viewed as one of the most serious traffic offenses. But there’s a reason why Stafford may come down harder – they made a change in 2013 that allows law enforcement to issue improper driving tickets for minor wrecks where someone might be distracted. So if a police officer charges you with reckless driving, it’s under the premise that the Commonwealth has strong evidence that you were driving recklessly in a way that could cause injury to others. An experienced defense attorney will be able to review this evidence and determine what holes or issues there are in order to achieve the best possible outcome for your situation.

You may be granted a restricted driver’s license. Stafford County grants restricted driver’s licenses on a case by case basis to traffic offenders whose licenses have been suspended, but these are not automatically granted. If convicted, you will need to apply for a restricted driver’s license, which is subject to a judge’s approval. In some cases where you might have had a full driver’s license suspension for 60 days, a judge may allow you to have a restricted driver’s license – with a catch. He or she might extend the period of your license restriction for additional months. It’s important to have an experienced attorney to argue for your full driving privileges and help you move on from this issue.

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Stafford General District Court is located east of I-95 just off Jefferson Davis Highway.

Ms. Nicole B. McGuire serves as the clerk for Stafford General District Court and she can be reached at (540) 658-8935 or nmcguire@courts.state.va.us. Eric Olsen is the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Reckless driving cases are heard on Tuesday through Friday beginning at 9 a.m.

If your court date is coming up soon and you need more time to hire an attorney, you should call the court to file a continuance request at least three business days before your court date. Reckless driving may be continued only on a judge’s approval, but it’s not an automatic approval.

Please note that reckless driving is not a pre-payable offense.