A defense lawyer represents motorists who have been charged with reckless driving. As a criminal lawyer from a firm like Rispoli & Borneo can explain, a reckless driving charge is serious because if convicted, the penalties can be substantial. Reckless driving is sometimes called careless driving or dangerous driving. The charge indicates that the motorist ignored the safety of other individuals, putting them at risk by the actions they took while driving recklessly. An individual can be charged with reckless driving even if no injuries occurred. The offense reflects the fact that somebody might have been hurt. If someone was actually hurt or killed because of the motorist’s reckless driving, the individual will likely be charged with additional crimes such as vehicular manslaughter, as one example. If you were arrested for reckless driving and someone was hurt or killed, it’s critical that you retain the legal services of a respected defense lawyer. Your reckless driving lawyer can advise you if additional charges will likely be brought against you based on the circumstances of what occurred.
Common Examples of Reckless Driving
Reckless driving can take virtually any form, but when it comes to being charged with this criminal offense, some scenarios are more common than others. Whether or not any of the below examples reflect your situation, we encourage you to contact our reckless driving lawyer and request an insightful, no-cost review of your case.
- Driving faster than the posted speed limit or faster than is warranted under the current road and/or weather conditions. Simply speeding is not what incurs a reckless driving charge; it is driving too fast in such a way that can harm someone. For example, driving down a mountain highway at the speed limit when the road is icy and other drivers are appropriately driving much slower in order to maintain control of their vehicles. A reckless driver might drive so much faster in this scenario that other cars might be forced off the road (and possibly over a cliff) in order to avoid that driver.
- Not stopping at red lights or stop signs, and as a result, putting other drivers, pedestrians, or bicyclists in danger. Crosswalks, traffic lights and signage are there for a reason, and not obeying them can result in serious injuries or fatalities. Running through one red light may or may not result in a reckless driving charge and the need to hire a criminal defense lawyer, but running several of them in one go will greatly increase the likelihood.
- Driving while under the influence which causes the motor vehicle operator to make reckless decisions which put others’ safety in danger. For example, if someone is drunk and behind the wheel, they may find it amusing to drive on the sidewalks and scatter the pedestrians, something they would not do if sober. If your scenario was similar to this, your criminal defense lawyer will advise you if additional charges might be assessed such as driving while intoxicated in addition to reckless driving.
- Passing a school bus that is flashing its red lights or is visibly picking up or dropping off students. Such an action puts the welfare of the children (or adults) at risk because the vehicle driver’s visibility is typically obscured so they may not see the child until it is too late. Whether the school bus’s red lights are flashing or not, other drivers have the responsibility to be cautious and avoid being reckless, even unintentionally.
Contact a criminal lawyer to have your case reviewed today.