Legal Question in Traffic Law in Washington

Re: Reckless Driving

If you are really not guilty of the charge, then why is "minimizing court and lawyer fees" a priority to you?

I represent citizens who are wrongfully arrested and prosecuted all the time. Universally, their first concern is doing whatever it takes to the case dismissed. That said if you don't feel so strongly that you're innocent, then you should go to your arraignment without a lawyer and plead guilty.

If you do plead at arraignment, the court will immediately suspend your license for 30 days, you will probably get a one or two day jail sentence and have to pay $500 to $800 in fines. When you try to get your license back from the Department of Licensing, you'll have to obtain SR-22 insurance. This kind of insurance can cost up to five times what you pay now and you'll have to have it for the next three years. You may also have to take a driver's improvement course and will probably be placed on bench or active probation for two to five years. Probation ranges in cost from $10 per month up to $75 per month depending on the kind of probation you get. Finally, you'll also have a criminal conviction on your record, one which will certainly affect your future ability to obtain any sort of employment that involves driving.

Does this sentence sound okay to you? But hey, if you do this, you will have minimized the amount you had to spend on courts and lawyers, right?

The other alternative is to hire the best damn lawyer you can afford and fight the cop and fight the prosecutor and get the charge either reduced or dismissed.