[stressdoc]

Interesting discussion. I certainly agree with 333sp's assessment of the USA driving situation. Madness: cell phones, McDonald's, drunks, untrained teenage drivers, incompetent civil traffic engineering, ... I feel much safer at 250 kph on an autobahn.

To the point. Here is what I would do: call the prosecutor's office and ask the clerk. Your wife should explain that she had a good driving record, and this was an aberration. Most POs have some pre-trial agreement where you can be placed on 'probation' for 3 or 6 months and the offense will be dismissed (albeit with a higher fine of course). The issue here is the seriousness of the offense; the prosecutor may not be willing to bargain away at that level. And the prior won't help.

Is there a good reason for her driving fast? Kids? Obviously there are no good reasons, but if your wife can explain that she now understands that she needs to watch what she is doing etc., a probation makes more sense for everyone.

[Outlaw 06]

I used to live in Fairfax County and got a “reckless driving” ticket for doing 85mph in a 55mph zone on I-95. The charge is based on speed; 20mph over the posted limit or over 80mph. What a scam! Unfortunately, the charge requires a court appearance. I talked to the prosecutor and plea bargained it down to speeding (without a lawyer), but that was a few years ago. These days, the Commonwealth of Virginia may be routinely gouging motorists with excessive fines in order to increase revenues. I’d ask a friend or acquaintance in the VA court system to explain the routine to you now. If that's not possible, I’d consider getting legal advice.

[TMNT]

My Experience:
I got a reckless driving going 86 in a 65 on I-95 southbound in Stafford County. This was about 6 years ago and I was around 21-22 years old.

I ended up getting a lawyer who advised me to get a calibration done on my car since it was over 10 years old at the time. It was about 1 mph off. He also advised me to take a drivers ed course. By doing all those things and the fact that it was my first ticket ever, I got the charge reduced to just regular speeding.

One thing I definitely recommend is getting a traffic lawyer who also knows the local courts very well. You are better off with a lawyer the judges and prosecutors know then some random guy from Maryland. I spent $400 for the lawyer and it was worth it. I'd rather spend the money then risk not having a lawyer and getting charged with reckless getting fined much more and paying $$$ for insurance for the next 5 years.