Can a cop give you a reckless driving ticket just because he hears your tires squeal? (Virginia)?

lremmell64

Yes, according to Virginia driving laws if a police officer hears your tires spin excessively they may issue the driver a ticket for "Reckless Driving".

I found a website with a lengthy description of various types of "reckless driving" and the ramifications of actually getting charged with reckless driving". This charge takes away 6-points on your license and can also lead to time in jail and $2,500 dollar fine.

Here is the website:
http://www.vatrafficlaw.com/reckless.html

Get a lawyer to fight this charge, I would if it were me. Your friend shoiuld state their case in court but never, ever, ever accuse the cop of any wrong doing. Just provide the judge the facts of the case and leave it to him/her to come up with a decision.

Mellicious

LOL. I got pulled over in Virginia once...cops there are no joke. Maybe he just found out his wife ate his last donut. LOL. OK...just a joke. lol

Jake

just being the typical as$hole that they normally are, go to court and fight it

TedEx

You said the magic word. VIRGINIA!
I worked in trucking for over 30 years,, the worst state to drive in is Virginia.
If someone said they got a ticket and didn't specify the state, if you guessed,"Virginia" you had a good chance of being right.
=
A question for you, did your friend act businesslike and polite when pulled over, or did she give the cop a line of BS?

X.x.Zach.x.X

ummmm. id say no ticket possibly a warning...but then again on purpose or not...he has ever right over it...even tho it is stupid...

Lloyd Braun

Something tells me we're not hearing the full story here.

short2stuff1922

You said she pressed on the accelerator a bit too hard when the light turned green and she corrected the situation. What was the meaning of correcting the situation? Did the car swurve to the side and she straightened it? If this happened, then the cop saw it as reckeless driving. When a light changes red to green, you do press the accelerator but if you press down fast in a hurried way, the tires will squeel and the car will swurve. When accelerating, you have to take precautions because you never know what the other drivers will do to beat the traffic and get ahead by exessive acceleration.

Westport

Yes, there is some kind of law relating to "Stunt Driving" which makes it illegal to peal out. The cop, however, should have given you a warning. I would fight the ticket. Sometimes tires squeal when they need air in one of the tires.

jay

It's called an unsafe start, and falls in the reckless driving catagory.

Knowitall

Reading between the lines - My friend and I where stopped at a traffic light. When it turned green she hammered it and spun up the tires. At that same moment I saw the police on the side road and she let off. We stared straight forward and where diving like angles when this mean cop just pulled us over. We where very surprised because we where minding our own business. I cried and even showed some extra cleavage and he still gave us a ticket. Can he give us a ticket even though we broke the law?

Im just teasing you. Reckless seems a little steep for what you did. I would fight the ticket and maybe you will get exhibition of speed which fits the crime. If you where smoking the tires it could be reckless. If you say it was an accident and you didnâ€™t mean to spin up the tires it is still a failure to control your vehicle. Either way fight the ticketâ€¦he can write you up for whatever you want. The judge and DA decide what you are ultimately charged with.

X-cop.

sensible_man

Squealing tires are caused by losing traction with the pavement. While this is happening, you have no control over the vehicle. Thus, reckless operation.

Josh

If you have to squeal ur tires, you are obviously driving to fast, don't go so fast next time.

pistonclash

If you are telling the scenario accurately, this cop had too much time on his hands. Go to the city or country attorney and explain the situation. Most likely they will dismiss the ticket. Worst case scenario the cop should have issued an excessive tire noise ticket.

The cops just an ******. Tell her to fight it in court. I think burning out at a stop light is reckless driving, but just chirping or squealing for a couple of seconds isn't reckless. Probably just inexperience.

blueman

He couldn't give a reckless driving for that, but there is a ticket called Improper Display of Power that he could have given. I think we might be missing some o the details here.

Oneucb4u

I got a reckless driving charge against me for spinning my tires while leaving a red light. It had just rained, I drive a stick, and my car has over 400 HP. Not real surprising needless to say. I will admit that I didn't let off the gas right away, and the tires spun for about a second. It was fun, so if anybody has a problem with this, go eat crap. Anyways, on my first appearance, I spoke to the DA and let him know how silly this was. I have no criminal record, my speed never broke 20-25 mph, it was late at night on an (other than the cop) empty street, the weather conditions were not ideal, and oh yeah... I could've been stopped going 150 mph in a 30 mph zone backwards with my lights off while swerving back and forth and most likely received a similar charge. He saw it my way, but said he would not be able to reduce it until my actual hearing. So, during my actual hearing, he calls my name first, and dismisses the case. Note, my ticket states that it was raining, and that I was polite and cooperative. I'm sure this helped out a bit, aside from the fact that I actually walked into the DA's office and spoke with him in a mature and polite manner about the situation. I'm sure it's too late, but best of luck to ya'.

Frank

If it was a girl driving, then likely the driving was wreckless (spelled with a W) only while the vehicle was in motion. So, 100% chance the cop was in the right. It's not like he was PMS'ing or something.

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