Nats' Jayson Werth Nailed In Virginia For Driving 105 MPH In A 55 Zone

If there's one thing I hope you learn from reading Jalopnik, it's that you shouldn't speed in Virginia because the state treats excessive speed as a serious criminal offense instead of a traffic citation. Washington Nationals player Jayson Werth may soon learn that the hard way.

Nats Enquirer reports that Werth, an outfielder, was charged with reckless driving for allegedly doing 105 mph in a 55 mph zone in Fairfax County, Virginia on July 6. He had a court date last week but it was continued until November.

If you're cited going over 80 mph in Virginia, it's a charge of reckless driving, which is among the most serious levels of misdemeanors you can be charged with. In some counties going over 90 mph means jail time, as I discovered recently after driving too fast during a Chevrolet press drive, while in other areas the jail line is 100 mph. In my case, going 93 mph in a 55 mph zone meant three days in jail.

Of course, Werth was nailed in the more urban area of Fairfax, and he's a baseball player who can afford a stellar attorney, so he's a better contender than most to avoid jail time. (And like NBC Sports' Hardball Talk, I wonder where in traffic-ridden Fairfax he was actually able to get up to 105 mph.)

It's not like famous people really ever go to jail; if they did, Justin Bieber would have been deported a long time ago.

Don't drive that fast in general, but especially don't drive that fast in Virginia. I shouldn't have done it, and Jayson Werth shouldn't have done it. It will be interesting to see what happens to him next as he moves through the legal system, though.

Update: According to his ticket, he was driving his Porsche on I-495 near the Georgetown Pike on a Sunday morning at 9:35 a.m.

Photo credit AP

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