- Jurisdiction
- Virginia
Hi, I'm currently 17 years old, and had an accident a few days ago on a local bridge. The road was wet, it was a sharp turn, and I was probably going faster than I should have for the weather conditions (I'm not aware of what my speed was). The car was totaled, but I was the only one in it and no other cars or property was damaged (including the bridge). This is my first traffic offense, the officer charged my with Reckless Driving - Failure to Maintain Control of the Vehicle. I'm worried because this is a criminal charge, and they could charge me as an adult (I'll be 18 at the time of the court date, set for December 12th). I don't know if they will try to prove the speed that I was doing, or if they will let me off and I will have to take a defensive driving course. The state trooper that showed up said that I'll most likely have to take a defensive driving course, and that the charge will be off my record in six months. However, it still worries me because the court date is still two months away, not knowing is killing me. I, myself, do want to be a state trooper, and if they don't drop the charge down to improper driving, and charge me with reckless driving, that could ruin my chances. Everything I'm reading says to get an attorney, but my mom really doesn't think that that's necessary. Anyways, there might be some things I accidentally left out, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.