Road accidents are among the leading causes of injury and fatalities worldwide, as a result of many contributing factors. Reckless driving stands out as a major cause of car accidents, accounting for a significant portion of collisions that occur on the roads. Reckless driving encompasses several traffic violations and dangerous behaviors that significantly increase the risk of accidents and harm to both drivers and pedestrians. Some of the charges that motorists face related to reckless driving in Virginia include the following. Driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is ..read more

Police officers must ensure that the roads under their jurisdiction are as safe as possible. This means watching for signs that anything is amiss. One specific behavior they have to be vigilant about is drunk driving. In order to get drunk drivers off the roads, police officers have to watch for signs that any particular motorist is impaired. But, in order to conduct a lawful traffic stop for suspected drunk driving, officers must have reasonable suspicion that a particular driver is impaired before they can pull them over. What is reasonable suspicion? Reasonable suspicion regarding drunk dri ..read more

It is easy to make minor mistakes that result in major implications after an arrest. People frequently fail to make use of their civil rights while in state custody, and that failure can have major implications for someone’s options when responding to criminal charges. Individuals taken into state custody have the right to remain silent. Law enforcement officials and other state employees cannot compel them to answer questions or to implicate themselves. Some people assert their right to remain silent during questioning but then disclose details while still in state custody that affect their c ..read more

The police have several methods to confirm whether a driver is drunk. The police may begin by questioning whether a driver had been drinking. They may even ask drivers to perform physical exercises called field sobriety tests to help the police spot signs of inebriation.  Alternatively, the police may ask drivers to submit to a chemical sobriety test. A chemical sobriety test evaluates a person’s blood alcohol content (BAC). BAC is the amount of alcohol that is in a person’s body. If their BAC level exceeds standard levels, the driver may be charged with drunk driving. There are three dif ..read more

Virginia regulates open alcohol containers in motor vehicles. Knowing the law is necessary to avoid breaking it and reducing the likelihood of criminal charges. Here, you can learn the specifics of Virginia’s open container law. Virginia’s open container law The open container law prohibits you from having an open container of alcohol where you or passengers can access it while driving. An open container refers to any bottle, can or other receptacle containing any alcoholic beverage with a broken seal or whose contents have been partially removed. The passenger area includes any part of t ..read more

Driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious offense in Virginia, and law enforcement utilizes various tools to enforce DUI laws. One such tool is the K9 unit, a specially trained dog and handler team. When exactly can the police use a K9 during a vehicle search at a DUI stop? Understanding your rights and the legalities surrounding K9 use can be important in the event that you’re ever pulled over because a law enforcement officer suspects that you’re driving while impaired. Reasonable suspicion vs. probable cause: The threshold for K9 searches In Virginia, police interactions with drivers f ..read more

Getting caught with illegal drugs can be a frightening experience. The legal repercussions can vary greatly depending on whether you’re charged with possession or trafficking. Virginia honors clear distinctions between drug possession and drug trafficking. While both involve controlled substances, the intent behind these offenses and the severity of the charges differ greatly. Understanding these differences can be crucial if you or someone you know faces drug-related legal issues. What is drug possession? Drug possession is the most basic drug offense. It simply means having an illegal contro ..read more

There are numerous rules that limit the conduct of police officers. For example, the Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches of their property, and the courts have ruled on many cases clarifying what constitutes a reasonable search. For example, typically, for a police officer to go through someone’s home, they need to meet very specific standards. A warrant makes a search legal in most cases. Officers can also search when they have probable cause. Probable cause is an articulable suspicion of criminal activity. Otherwise, officers can only conduct searches of private prope ..read more

If you break the law while attending college, you may be worried that it’s going to hinder your academic career. After all, that education was a building block toward your eventual career in the workforce, and now all the plans that you’ve made could be derailed. Are you going to be expelled from college and lose the chance to get an education over a single mistake? First of all, this happens automatically with a lot of different felony charges. Schools will remove students, but it is often more of an administrative measure. Someone who is convicted on felony charges will likely be spending ti ..read more

Motorists who have driven for years sometimes no longer recall the details of Virginia traffic statutes. They might then make mistakes during an interaction with the police officer that could increase their risk of criminal prosecution. There are very clear limitations on what police officers can demand during a traffic stop. For example, they cannot require chemical testing unless they have already established probable cause to believe that someone is under the influence. Often, the process of obtaining that probable cause involves having a driver perform field sobriety tests. Someone’s perfo ..read more