I'm itching to try it . . . a different kind of sobering here in Virginia where they added excessive speed to wit:
§ 46.2-862 Reckless Driving; Exceeding Speed Limit
A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who drives a motor vehicle on the highways in the Commonwealth (i) at a speed of twenty miles per hour or more in excess of the applicable maximum speed limit or (ii) in excess of eighty miles per hour regardless of the applicable maximum speed limit.
The net effect of this is a somewhat arbitrary system, where the police have the latitude to charge with the lesser "improper driving" or the "reckless driving" -- the latter has with it a mandatory court appearance. When going to court, it's a very quick suspension of license except for hardship cases. The lawyers are hovering outside the office where the court takes your license and your fine (plus court costs), OR, you check the block that says "Appeal" -- and to underline it, there is a banner on the wall behind the counter that says, "You may appeal your conviction." So as you're reaching into your pocket for your license, you turn around, see the lawyers standing there, and approach them, "Hey, I see that banner on the wall. Can you help me?" "Whadja get?" "Excessive Speed Reckless Driving, $100 fine and suspension of license for 60 days. I can't stand that." They look at each other as to signal 'You can have this one', and one speaks up, "Yes, there's no guarantee, but I think I can help."
A second court case, after a driving school and and speedometer calibration, where the lawyer looked and me and sternly said, "Don't you dare say a word.", I kept my license. The effective fine with all that was $1,100 (money out of my pocket) and all I had been doing was checking the balance of the new tires.
