Legal Question in Traffic Law in Virginia

Reckless Driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia. Class 1 misdemeanors carry up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2500 fine. Reckless driving is treated fairly seriously in courts in Virginia and it is important to prepare for the hearing. An attorney such as myself can assist you with that.

It is a Class 1 Misdemeanor which means technically it carries the possibility of jail and a huge fine, but such consequences are exceedingly rare. Suspension of drivers license for up to 6 months are more common, but even that is usually reserved for high speed (+85 mph) cases. From the description of the charge, it sounds like your case is a simple an accident case. Unless the facts and/or your prior driving record are really terrible, most of the time those are routinely reduced to Improper Driving, which is merely a traffic infraction. By all means you are well advised to hire a lawyer to make sure of that, but don't do so because you are scared you will end up in jail if you don't. The criminal conviction on your record is the more realistic consequence that you should be focussed on avoiding.