Were you clocked speeding in Virginia? If so, you should know that Virginia's reckless driving statute is a class 1 misdemeanor. You can be fined up to $2,500, sentenced to 12 months in prison, and lose your driving privileges for six months.

Here's the good news: you can defend and beat your speeding ticket!

Judges have a lot of discretion in these reckless driving cases. If you play your cards right, you can walk out of court with your ticket dismissed. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Your first step on the road to beating that speeding ticket is to hire a lawyer. It may seem like overkill, but there's no substitute to hiring an experienced traffic lawyer. He'll know the peculiarities of the local traffic judges, and he'll be able to navigate the law for you. There's already enough bogging down your mind; hire a lawyer to help.

The next step is to get a copy of your Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles record. You and your lawyer need to know what previous charges are on your record. This is critical for negotiating with the judge. You can order a certified copy of your 11-year driving history from the Department of Motor Vehicles online for $13.

Third, your lawyer might advise you to have your speedometer calibrated. If you are accused of speeding relatively close to the reckless driving line, a calibration could be the key to winning. If you can show the court that your speedometer didn't show you as speeding, the charge can be reduced or dismissed entirely.

Fourth, your lawyer might have you take a driver improvement course. This can be used to bargain with the judge and hopefully get your charge reduced. But if you've taken a driver improvement course in the previous two year period, this isn't an option for you.

From here, you just have to attend court and do what your lawyer says. The good news is that everything will be over soon. You'll head to court, enter your plea, have a trial that takes less than four minutes, and be done!