Reckless driving

[cornuc0pia]

Hello,
This morning I was pulled over for "reckless driving" and given a ticket. I was driving on a country road and neglected to see a sudden change in the speed limit at went through a small town. I feel awful because I've never done anything like this before. Obviously I'll pay the fine and I guess I should be lucky nothing worse happened. But apparently it is a misdemeanor and now I am petrified about my residency chances. How much of a black mark is this? I start medical school in the fall. Any advice is appreciated.

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[Merely]

How fast were you goin give more details, what's ur record like etc.

 

[cornuc0pia]

I was going 80 in a 70 zone that changed to a 55 zone abruptly, which is when I got pulled over. This is my first traffic violation of any kind.

 

[lymphocyte]

I was going 80 in a 70 zone that changed to a 45 zone abruptly, which is when I got pulled over. This is my first traffic violation of any kind.

You need to get a lawyer.

This suggestion always sounds like such a scary and confrontational thing, but it really doesn't have to be.

They can work out diversion, plea deals, and even look at the fine print of your student conduct requirements. A few thousand is nothing compared to having to explain a misdemeanor to the State Medical Board or to your school. And you've only been charged with a misdemeanor; there's still a lot of wiggle room (like diversion, etc.).

If you have trouble finding one, just call your local bar association and ask for a referral to a lawyer who specialises in medical students/physicians. They'll give you some names. Do an initial consultation with all of them (should be free or nominal charge) and go from there.

 

[cornuc0pia]

You need to get a lawyer.

This suggestion always sounds like such a scary and confrontational thing, but it really doesn't have to be.

They can work out diversion, plea deals, and even look at the fine print of your student conduct requirements. A few thousand is nothing compared to having to explain a misdemeanor to the State Medical Board or to your school. And you've only been charged with a misdemeanor; there's still a lot of wiggle room (like diversion, etc.).

And if you have trouble finding one, just call your local bar association and ask for a referral to a lawyer who specialises in medical students/physicians. They'll give you some names. Do a free initial consultation with all of them and go from there.

Oh no. I could get kicked out? I can't believe I did this. I do intend to talk to a lawyer. Also it was a 55 zone, that was a typo. Thank you for your honesty.

 

[lymphocyte]

Oh no. I could get kicked out? I can't believe I did this. I do intend to talk to a lawyer. Also it was a 55 zone, that was a typo. Thank you for your honesty.

1. Take a deep breath and go hug your mom or dad or whomever. This too shall pass.
2. Get a lawyer sooner rather than later.

I have zero clue about your medical school, what the actual facts are, etc. I just know it's best to get professional help when you need help from a professional. Others can chime in about their personal experiences.

 

[cornuc0pia]

Are all misdemeanors considered equal?

 

[Crayola227]

I would say no, they're not usually

 

[lymphocyte]

Are all misdemeanors considered equal?

Generally no. Also, considered by whom? State Medical Board, your school, the legal system? Context matters.

Look, I'm just a stranger on the Internet that lives 8,000+ miles away. Do you know who knows much better than me? A lawyer.

 

[Stagg737]

Are all misdemeanors considered equal?

Not usually, but I'd guess it would depend on the institution. If it's just a ticket, then it's probably nbd at most places. Since it is being counted as a misdemeanor then you're going to want it taken care of. Especially if this is a first time offense as a good lawyer should at least be able to get it reduced from a misdemeanor and get that mark off your record. I can't imagine any school that would kick you out or rescind an acceptance because of a single speeding ticket. It's not something that's likely to hurt your career immediately, but you don't want to get rejected from a residency program or job because of a random misdemeanor showing up on a background check.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Couldn't you not pay the fine and opt for taking defensive driving? You should ask someone with more legal experience about your options.

I once rear-ended someone going about 5mph and was given a ticket for "failure to control speed." Defensive driving took it off my record. It was all online too.

 

[lymphocyte]

failure to control speed

I would frame that ticket. So rad.

 

[StrongIslandDoc]

Hello,
This morning I was pulled over for "reckless driving" and given a ticket. I was driving on a country road during a road trip and neglected to see a sudden change in the speed limit. I feel awful because I've never done anything like this before. Obviously I'll pay the fine and I guess I should be lucky nothing worse happened. But apparently it is a misdemeanor and now I am petrified about my residency chances. How much of a black mark is this? I start medical school in the fall. Any advice is appreciated.

Oh no. I could get kicked out? I can't believe I did this. I do intend to talk to a lawyer. Also it was a 55 zone, that was a typo. Thank you for your honesty.

There is some really sound advice on this thread. Lawyer up - it is a first time traffic violation, nothing complex - you can for sure expect this to be taken care of by a lawyer who knows what they are doing. As for your current concerns about medical school and getting kicked out? Laughable. No medical school is interested in attrition, certainly not over a silly traffic violation - this is quite different from a DUI. Finally, please allow me to offer an anecdote - I got a $400 traffic violation my first semester of medical school. The financial aid office happily extended my COA so I could cover the cost of the ticket without overextending myself financially for the semester. If there are any issues that arise from this, your school will likely want to work with you to achieve some resolve, but you are definitely not going to be asked to leave medical school over this.

 

[Brahnold Bloodaxe]

I once rear-ended someone going about 5mph and was given a ticket for "failure to control speed." Defensive driving took it off my record. It was all online too.

The way that sentence is written suggests the person you rear-ended was going 5mph and that was the reason you decided to take matters into your own hands. lol

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

The way that sentence is written suggests the person you rear-ended was going 5mph and that was the reason you decided to take matters into your own hands. lol

*Offensive* driving

 

[lymphocyte]

There is some really sound advice on this thread. Lawyer up - it is a first time traffic violation, nothing complex - you can for sure expect this to be taken care of by a lawyer who knows what they are doing. As for your current concerns about medical school and getting kicked out? Laughable. No medical school is interested in attrition, certainly not over a silly traffic violation - this is quite different from a DUI. Finally, please allow me to offer an anecdote - I got a $400 traffic violation my first semester of medical school. The financial aid office happily extended my COA so I could cover the cost of the ticket without overextending myself financially for the semester. If there are any issues that arise from this, your school will likely want to work with you to achieve some resolve, but you are definitely not going to be asked to leave medical school over this.

This is good perspective OP. Just don't be complacent. Reckless driving is not a speeding ticket. It's a major moving violation and even a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia (one step below a felony). A "speeding ticket," by contrast, is a often a mere infraction that stays off your criminal record. A misdemeanor does not.

My point is not to freak you out. It's to motivate you. The state, the fact pattern, the school policy--all of these things will make a difference. And it's also going to be a royal PIA to explain a misdemeanor to the State Medical Board when the time comes due.

Just get a good lawyer yesterday. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[cornuc0pia]

This is good perspective OP. Just don't be complacent. Reckless driving is not a speeding ticket. It's a major moving violation and even a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia (one step below a felony). A "speeding ticket," by contrast, is a often a mere infraction that stays off your criminal record. A misdemeanor does not.

My point is not to freak you out. It's to motivate you. The state, the fact pattern, the school policy--all of these things will make a difference. And it's also going to be a royal PIA to explain a high misdemeanor to the State Medical Board when the time comes due.

Just get a good lawyer yesterday. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you. It's from Georgia and there are only misdemeanors and misdemeanors of a high and aggravated nature. This is the former. I will talk to a lawyer as soon as the weekend is over. In the worst case scenario and this stays on my record, would I be unable to get a medical license?

 

[StrongIslandDoc]

Thank you. It's from Georgia and there are only misdemeanors and misdemeanors of a high and aggravated nature. This is the former. I will talk to a lawyer as soon as the weekend is over. In the worst case scenario and this stays on my record, would I be unable to get a medical license?

"Failed to control speed" is abhorrently vague a description on a ticket - the wording alone sounds so much worse than the reality of what happened I am sure - and this is what highway patrol are notorious for. You haven't much to worry about though, because once you get a lawyer, you will get this dropped. State Medical Boards are much, much more concerned with the PGY-4 surgeon who has a DUI, the medical graduate who is selling Rx's under the table, the physician who is sleeping with a patient. Try to enjoy the rest of your last summer before medical school and pretend this never happened.

 

[cornuc0pia]

Thank you. I'll try not to panic too much but remain proactive. I just wish I had seen that speed limit sign.

 

[Psai]

No worries op, it's not like no one is familiar with speed traps that exist to make a city some money. Police sit there for a reason.

 

[Merely]

Dude this is NOT a big deal. Your state is stupid since they consider anything over a specific speed to be reckless driving. Regardless, get a lawyer, he will get you out of this since its your first time. You will not get kicked out, I've gotten two tickets, one where I was going 31 mph above the speed limit (91 in a 60) and nothing happened since speeding is not a huge deal as long as you're going straight and it's not crowded and you're not being dumb.

 

[jaguar33]

Get a traffic lawyer before paying any fines. Once you pay the fine the charge sticks and it cant be reduced. Its actually a straightforward process and nothing to worry about, the lawyers deal with this all the time and it almost always gets reduced. Cost was around $500 and charge was reduced from misdemeanor speeding to a non-moving violation/ticket.

 

[cornuc0pia]

Thank you all for the responses. I hired a traffic attorney and this is what he said:

-There is a "north of 90%" chance that it will get reduced to a "municipal code violation" because he has a long history with the county, I have nothing else on my record, and they really only care about the fine. He described it as a "really expensive parking ticket."
-He said that in the event that his initial plan doesn't work for whatever reason, there are other avenues we can take that have similar effects.
-He said that a reckless driving misdemeanor would not come up on a criminal background check because it is a traffic violation and not a criminal violation. (Although, my own research has indicated that this isn't necessarily true with things like VA background checks).

So, keeping this in mind, I have a few questions.
1. How should I deal with my school? I have scoured every honor code they've ever published and there doesn't seem to be a procedure for stuff like this. They have already done a background check on me after I was accepted. The AMCAS instructions only deal with convictions or pleading no contest so they don't apply here. Should I wait until I have official results from my attorney or court to inform my school or should I tell them I received the ticket to avoid the appearance of dishonesty? Is this something that could get me expelled?
2. How much of a black mark is this for residency? Can I expect to be outright rejected from programs because of it?
3. Will this prevent me from getting a medical license?

Thank you for helping me with this.

 

[lymphocyte]

How should I deal with my school? Should I wait until I have official results from my attorney or court to inform my school or should I tell them I received the ticket to avoid the appearance of dishonesty? Is this something that could get me expelled?

Why don't you email the Dean and say, "I probably got a speeding ticket. Are you going to expel me over this"? I'd imagine lols will be shared by many.

I don't mean to poke fun, but it sounds like you have a greater > 90% chance of this being a big fat pile of nothing. Those are great odds. Just wait until you know what's what. Again, reckless driving (misdemeanor) isn't the same as what most call a "speeding ticket" (likely infraction). But you've only been charged. And misdemeanors have to be explained. That's it. It will more likely be a PIA than anything else (if it even comes to that.)

As to your other questions... why worry now about what likely won't be? Your next step is to just follow up with the lawyer. Keep us updated and good luck!

 

[StrongIslandDoc]

1. You don't deal with the school. The school has absolutely nothing to do with this. I've gotten pulled over 11 times in the last three years - I've either sweet talked my way out of a ticket or paid a fine, and only in one instance did I get the school involved, and that was just to borrow money to pay a fine.
2. The only thing that will leave a black mark on your chances for residency is if you continue this sort of pattern of catastrophizing things that are menial and moot (like this ticket) at the expense of your mental well being and your focus on doing good work in medical school.
3. This is silly.



Enjoy the rest of your summer before med school!

 

[cornuc0pia]

Why don't you email the Dean and say, "I probably got a speeding ticket. Are you going to expel me over this"? I'd imagine lols will be shared by many. I don't mean to poke fun, but it sounds like you have a greater > 90% chance of this being a big fat pile of nothing. Those are great odds.

Just wait until you know what's what. Again, reckless driving (misdemeanor) isn't the same as a "speeding ticket" (infraction). But you've only been charged.

As to you other questions... why worry now about what very likely won't be? Your next step is just follow up with the lawyer. Keep us updated and good luck!

Thank you! I will do exactly that. Also, as it turns out pretty much any kind of traffic offense in Georgia is a misdemeanor, including speeding.

 

[cornuc0pia]

1. You don't deal with the school. The school has absolutely nothing to do with this. I've gotten pulled over 11 times in the last three years - I've either sweet talked my way out of a ticket or paid a fine, and only in one instance did I get the school involved, and that was just to borrow money to pay a fine.
2. The only thing that will leave a black mark on your chances for residency is if you continue this sort of pattern of catastrophizing things that are menial and moot (like this ticket) at the expense of your mental well being and your focus on doing good work in medical school.
3. This is silly.



Enjoy the rest of your summer before med school!

Thanks, that's reassuring. It's awesome your school let you do that. My school has a reputation for having a friendly and non-adversarial administration that works with their students actively, so I'm thankful for that. As for catastrophizing things, I just have no prior experience with the legal system and I have an impression of the medical community as being pretty no-nonsense. I'm hoping that this will just end up being a few hundred dollars towards the tuition of Life University and nothing more.

 

[Psai]

1. You don't deal with the school. The school has absolutely nothing to do with this. I've gotten pulled over 11 times in the last three years - I've either sweet talked my way out of a ticket or paid a fine, and only in one instance did I get the school involved, and that was just to borrow money to pay a fine.
2. The only thing that will leave a black mark on your chances for residency is if you continue this sort of pattern of catastrophizing things that are menial and moot (like this ticket) at the expense of your mental well being and your focus on doing good work in medical school.
3. This is silly.



Enjoy the rest of your summer before med school!

That's a lot. I drive like a maniac and I've been pulled over 4 times in the last ten years, two of which were bs

 

[StrongIslandDoc]

That's a lot. I drive like a maniac and I've been pulled over 4 times in the last ten years, two of which were bs

Out of state plates - easy pickings lol, it sucks.

 

[Crayola227]

if it ends up a misdemeanor the likely only real PIA you'll have is having to explain on ERAS, and explaining to the licensing board when you apply for your med license. It can slow things down.

It's hardly the sort of misdemeanor that's going to actually affect your career in any other way except more paperwork and eyerolls