wreckless driving

[wahoo250]

I recently have been charged with a wreckless driving offense. i also recently have been accepted to an airline interview. You all see my dilema. what advise can you give me on how to approach the subject when asked and what this possibly may mean for me. I have only one prior ticket of speeding in 8 years of driving. im 24 years old.

 

[labbats]

wreckless is good

reckless is bad

I'd see if your state offers the chance to take a class and have it cleared up.

 

[EagleRJ]

This wasn't a DWI plea-bargain, was it?

Drunk driving charges are frequently plea-bargained down to reckless driving, and the airlines know that. If you were drag racing or doing power-slides in the Wal-Mart parking lot, you may want to secure court documents attesting to that (Your summons may have comments from the ticketing officer that would suffice).

Alternatively, you could ask the court to charge you with something else, even if the fine is higher. Explain your situation and they may help you out.

 

[wahoo250]

no it was given after a snowfall and i almost hit an officer's police car while making a left hand turn. he said i was driving in his lane.

 

[flyifrvfr]

no it was given after a snowfall and i almost hit an officer's police car while making a left hand turn. he said i was driving in his lane.

I would hire an attorney and explain to the attorney what a reckless driving charge does to the chance of getting hired by an airline.I would then have the attorney explain this to the Judge who will then likely give you probation before judgement.Make sure your attorney requests this because it is not a conviction.Plea guilty and hope the Judge gives the P.B.J. Normally in a trial you can pay attention to the other cases before the Judge and if the Judge is throwing the book at everyone before him,you can get a postponment

 

[FN FAL]

Maybe your attorney can postpone your case for up to a year. At least that way, you can dodge any of the questions that may come up in regards to "have you ever been CONVICTED of a motor vehicle violation."

I can only figure the reason why the airlines can get away with asking you about DWI's that you have NOT been convicted of yet, is because the clock starts on the FAA reporting of a "MOTOR VEHICLE ACTION" thing, as soon as the cop hands you your "reciept" for your drivers license. So that is more of a stickier wicket.

As far as your reckless charge, you ain't guilty till you make a plea of no contest, a plea of guilty, or until they convict you.

If you haven't pleaded no contest yet or haven't pleaded guilty yet, I would ask your attorney to postpone the case for a year or at least 'till you get past indoc. If they only ask during the interview if you have you have ever been CONVICTED...you are off the hook.

I doubt they would ask if you have any common traffic charges pending...and I never heard that one at an interview. They usually ask during an interview about DWI's, FAA accidents or incidents.

I think the rest comes when they have you fill out the paperwork for the background check. All the more reason to try to postpone the case as long as you can. If they ask you on the background paperwork about PENDING stuff, you gotta list it. I wouldn't lie on any interview question, or on any back ground investigation questionaire. Not a good thing to do...but there is a big difference between them asking you about having been convicted and having pending charges.

I know they can ask during the interview about DWI's, because the FAA "process" has already begun, once you recieve the "notice to suspend" or "notice to revoke", which the cops pawn off as a reciept for your drivers license during a DWI arrest.

I don't know why they would ask about common traffic violations for which you have not been convicted in court yet. Those things get dropped and reduced or even thrown out by prosecuters in exchange for you volunteering for driver improvement clinic or something. So till your convicted of simple traffic charges, I don't really know why they would ask about pending stuff.

 

[FN FAL]

no it was given after a snowfall and i almost hit an officer's police car while making a left hand turn. he said i was driving in his lane.

You got reckless for THAT???? Hahahahahahaha. Get yourself an attorney and get that crap dropped to crossing a solid line or some other minor traffic infraction crap. I have gone and seen the city prosecuter before a court date MYSELF and got stuff reduced to a satisfactory settlement and pled guilty to the lesser charge. Get an attorney and get this turd turned down to something lesser, before it sees a judge.

This aint like you were driving down the wrong side of the interstate and giving the cops the finger when they tried to pull you over.

You can get this beat down, with out pleading guilty at some Peanut Butter and Jelly Kangaroo court.

Infact, I would be suing the city for not plowing the street, leaving conditions so bad you could'nt see where the dang lanes went...

Get a lawyer and give em hell!

 

[Chas]

In most courts and states

First off Lawyers are usually worthless in these cases They do what you can do yourself in many cases but charge you the big $

These charges take some time until the case is settled . In many courts they will plea bargain these down to other offenses If I was you I would explain to the prosecutor your situation and plea leniency . In the meantime PM me I MAY be of some assistance depending on where you live . Chas

 

[flyifrvfr]

Re: In most courts and states

First off Lawyers are usually worthless in these cases They do what you can do yourself in many cases but charge you the big $

The reason you would wan't to get an attorney is because you can't be cheap and hope for the best.The Judge would rather see that you thought the charge was serious enough to warrant hiring an attorney.Remember,Judges were once lawyers and although I know it sucks you shouldn't risk your possible job because someone else said not to hire an attorney.Do yourself a favor and spend the money to get a lawyer and use this as a learning tool,albeit an expensive lesson.Good Luck....

 

[FN FAL]

Attorneys ARE worthless. Yea, represent yourself...that's what I would do.

I already told that guy that he could go in and see the prosecutor before the trial date and try to get the thing whittled down to something like inattentive driving. He doesn't need an attorney for that.

He most likely WILL need an attorney to postpone the case long enough to put it on the back burner till he gets IN at the airline, if he can't get the thing whittled down.

It's only an airline career, I'd say go cheap. Wait till your court date, put on your best khaki dockers and your golf shirt that says "what ever fbo I'm going to cfi at for life" on the front and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Hehehehehehe.

 

[wahoo250]

what if i a, not able to get it knocked down...worse case sinerio

 

[ShawnC]

I already told that guy that he could go in and see the prosecutor before the trial date and try to get the thing whittled down to something like inattentive driving. He doesn't need an attorney for that.

Not going to say that the above isn't good advice, but in some states such as Florida you can't do that, it's you versus the cop.

It doesn't apply to this case (icy streets, we don't get that in Florida), just for others that may read this thread in the future.

 

[FN FAL]

Worst case scenario?

Well, you could wind up being a disheveled old curmudgeon of a freight doggie like me. Working 12 days a month, home every night, not working holidays or Sundays, making 40 grand a year with pay raises until you hit 55 a year.

It sucks being a bottom feeder, so you better get to work on getting that thing reduced to inattentive driving or at least have a good story to tell them interviewers about how it was snowy and you did not see the lines in road, so you can get on with being a big dog at the airlines.

I think you're going to do O.K. kid, just don't lie on anything.

 

[FN FAL]

Not going to say that the above is good advice, but in some states such as Florida you can't do that, it's you versus the cop.

I did it. I have done it. I will do it tomorrow. It was a good deal for me to plea bargain with the city attorney. I'm not going to argue state to state laws, however, I don't believe there is no such thing as plea bargaining in the state of FLA. If this truly is the case, then the kid is going to have to get an ATTORNEY. So in any case, you make my case. If you can't get some play with the city attorney, then you are going to have to recruit professional guns to work on the trial.

Believe me...I represented myself at an article 15 in the military at age 19. When it was all over with, I left the XO of the boat pounding the freaking podium after he had to drop 'disobeying an order' charges. If you don't know the laws of your particular state, you better work it with someone that does. That means hiring a mouthpiece.

 

[ShawnC]

I edited it about 10 minutes before you posted that.

 

[Chas]

My offer ...

to iansmo25 as a Police Officer of 19 years is to personally speak to the officer or prosecuter in the hopes of helping him. I too am hoping for a flying career upon my retirement in 5 months . Despite what people here feel about police officers and my political views. I am offering whatever help I can to assist another aspiring pilot pursue his dream . The offer has been made to iansmo25 . The ball is in his court .
In this thread I have made statements regarding attorneys and those statements are accurate . I have seen what judges do with lawyers especially judges who work part time in small village courts . These same judges themselves are practicing attorneys by day.
I have in the past succesfully interceded for people. Chas

 

[Salty Dog]

Another bone you might try to throw out if nothing else is working is "deferred adjudication".

It basically means, your worshipful judgeness, that if I keep my nose clean as a whistle for the next year, this will go away forever. Yet should I, your most obsequious, servile, and penitent citizen run afoul of the law again, you can hang me for both.

The idea being that they get a good reason to believe you will want to walk the straight and narrow complete w/sword hanging over your head, and you get the opportunity to prove this was a complete fluke never to be seen or heard about again.

Worked for me.

 

[wahoo250]

I want to thank Chas for his offer

 

[FN FAL]

I edited it about 10 minutes before you posted that.

it's o.k. I don't know what that means, but I'm not offended. I think everybody here has been cool with trying to help the kid out.

We all have had at least one brush with the law and most of us are pretty good people. We're not crack heads and thieves trying to get one up on the system. I think everybody here believes that one mistake is not enough reason an employer can use to rule out a good employee.

I wish the original poster good luck with his situation and with any luck, he'll get his charges reduced, get the job, and not get killed in a car accident in the future making the same mistake.

None of us is above making a mistake and getting hurt, killed, sued, or cited, when it comes to operating motor vehicles...no matter how good we think we are.

 

[Wankel7]

Just looking at the basics. Was everything correct on the ticket? Date, time, am/pm, name, mr/mrs, car, model ,year?

Wankel

 

[Chas]

a cops view on summonses

Unfortunatley many feel police take action out of some vengeance or power trip . The truth be told, a summons is just a number to most police officers. It is by the lack of better words just activity showing an officer is doing his job . I have written many summonses in my day but never personalize the issuance of a ticket . Once I write a ticket it is out of my hands as to how it is adjudicated. As you probably know many people who have "connections" get tickets dismissed or plea bargained.. Some because they have a large amount of capital and reserves to fight them Others who just have a friend watching out for them . Why shouldnt a hard working guy have some help too. Chas

 

[FN FAL]

a cops view on summonses

I hear you hommie, you guys got a job to do.

There was one speeding ticket I wish I would have fought to this day. It really doesn't matter career wise, cause the speeding ticket was from 1987 and it was for only 10MPH over the limit.

However, principal wise I should have fought that ticket. I was number three in a group of four cars pulled over by one cop. He clocked the lead car with his moving radar, he then made a u turn and supposedly clocked the last car with his odometer. I was number three and was getting the guilt by association ticket. He didn't clock me with radar or his odometer specifically and I could prove it in a court of law. I paid the fine by mailing it in, and I wish to this day I would have fought that one.

I had another incident where I sued the state patrol of this one state and got a settlement. The state trooper that was the reason for my suit, went on to injure a driver in a car accident while on duty and got charged with reckless endagerment. He was able to get his court case moved to a different county and got his charge reduced to reckless driving. This was while he was on duty and while he was driving a state patrol car.

I don't have a problem with putting it back to em. It's a two way street. They better have their T's crossed and their I's dotted.

A friend of mine came to me once with the sad news that he had gotten a DUI. He thought all was lost and was just asking me what he should do to notify the FAA on this thing. He was one of our jump pilots and was not really looking at a flying as a career. I took him to the trunk of my car and we whipped out the FARS and I told him what he needed to do on notifying the feds. I also told him he needed to get a lawyer to have a look at his DWI case. My freind thought the DUI case was open and shut, but his lawyer found a big mistake in the rookie's paperwork and got the DWI tossed out.

I don't have a problem with the job the boys in blue, or the boys in dark brown, light brown have to do, but I don't believe anybody should go down and be happy with being prosecuted with poor police work and bad workmanship. If a lawyer gets a guy out of charges or gets them reduced because the cop that wrote the paper did a bad job, it isn't because people and their attorneys are evil, it's because cops are negligent in their duties to do their job properly.

 

[Flightjock30]

When the airlines do background checks for court cases and criminal convictions do they also look at whats under your records at the Medical Information Bureau? Like if you have ever attended a rehab for alcohol treatment?

 

[wahoo250]

what comes up on these background court checks and medical checks. i believe that my strikes have run out...ive also had cancer in my history. thats a ticket i cant fight.

 

[flyifrvfr]

Another bone you might try to throw out if nothing else is working is "deferred adjudication".

It basically means, your worshipful judgeness, that if I keep my nose clean as a whistle for the next year, this will go away forever. Yet should I, your most obsequious, servile, and penitent citizen run afoul of the law again, you can hang me for both.

The idea being that they get a good reason to believe you will want to walk the straight and narrow complete w/sword hanging over your head, and you get the opportunity to prove this was a complete fluke never to be seen or heard about again.

Worked for me.

This is exactly the idea I was thinking of when I made my suggestion of hiring an lawyer.Deferred adjudication is the same as probation before judgment in Maryland.You don't get a conviction if you stay out of trouble for the next year and it goes away.Doesn't even show up on your driving record.That said,everytime I went to traffic court with a lawyer PBJ was given.In the few times I thought I could do the same as a lawyer and ask for pbj it was denied.Lesson learned,if you want the judge to be easy on you get a lawyer.In most cases the judge and the lawyer know each other.

 

[MetroSheriff]

I Don't Get It????

I thought you said it was not a DUI plead down to reckless.

But in this thread you say otherwise.


What is the real deal here????

 

[flyifrvfr]

Re: I Don't Get It????

I thought you said it was not a DUI plead down to reckless.

Well if this is the case you hade a DUI/DWI I hope they throw the book at you.The statement that follows is for anyone who drinks and drives.If you drink and drive and get caught don't cry and try to wiggle out of it.DUI is the most dumbest thing to do while trying to land a job that puts the interest of public safety first.How could anyone put people at risk by driving drunk and expect an airline to employ them after showing such poor judgement.I know some people are going to flame me over this post but go ahead.I have a clean driving record,I don't drink or smoke or do drugs and can speak with authority on the subject.I would love to be a fly on the wall when an applicant says to the interviewer,"well I did get locked up for drinking and driving but I would never do that in your plane with a load of liability in the passenger seats."

 

[MetroSheriff]

Re: Re: I Don't Get It????

I know some people are going to flame me over this post but go ahead.I have a clean driving record,I don't drink or smoke or do drugs and can speak with authority on the subject.

Not a flame but an observation.

If you don't drink, smoke, or do drugs, how can you speak with authority on the subject????

Sounds to me like you are in a position to provide anything better than good old-fashioned, garden-variety pontification.

 

[wahoo250]

convicted and being accused...two seperate things. by the way do you consider going out to dinner with a girlfriend, having two or three drinks in 1.5 hours and driving home driving under the influence? not trying to be snooty but there comes a point where someone has to draw a line

 

[flyifrvfr]

convicted and being accused...two seperate things. by the way do you consider going out to dinner with a girlfriend, having two or three drinks in 1.5 hours and driving home driving under the influence? not trying to be snooty but there comes a point where someone has to draw a line

I can't help the strong feelings I have for this subject.I hate to sound like Captain Obvious here but flying an airplane is a greater responsibility then driving a car however,if you show poor judgement while driving even after drinking just three drinks how would you handle the responsibility of flying an airplane.My previous post was a little harsh,maybe you will never do this again,I hope you understand the seriousness of the charge.Now what I mean by that is if you were out and you knew you might drink a few,don't drive.If you don't drink at all when you drive you can never be charged.I hope everything works out for the best.