Information About Reckless Driving

Driving in a way that puts people and property in harm's way is called reckless driving. A reckless driving offense can be tacked onto or used in lieu of other offenses like speeding.

Significance

Police officers decide to issue a reckless driving charge in addition to or in lieu of another ticket, like failure to yield, in cases where damage or injury happened or could have happened.

Function

Reckless driving charges are to single out the gross misconduct from the usual traffic violation.

Features

In addition to the threat of harm, a reckless driving charge also requires that the defendant had no regard for the other people on and off the roadways.

Types

In some states, there is more than one type of reckless driving charge. Bodily injury, damage to property, driving while intoxicated and speeding are all types of reckless driving that have specific penalties.

Misconceptions

Reckless driving is often confused with careless driving. Careless driving is driving in a way that could lead to injury or danger, but the driver isn't doing so with disregard to others. An example of careless driving is driving through a stop sign because you didn't see it, or going just a few miles over the speed limit.

References

• Findlaw.com: Statutes by State
• Michigan State Police: Report Aggressive Driving