If you think that the term “reckless driving” seems a bit vague, it is a broad category. There are various types of dangerous driving behaviors that fall under the umbrella of this offense.
Reckless driving convictions carry result in public safety officials placing points on your driving record. You could lose your driver’s license, and your insurance could skyrocket if you accumulate too many of them.
What driving behaviors constitute reckless driving?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration defines reckless driving as any instance in which you operate an automobile with “willful or wanton disregard” for property or people.
Accidents often result from certain dangerous driving behaviors. It, therefore, shouldn’t come as a surprise that the following traffic infractions may result in you facing reckless driving charges:
- Passing a school bus with its stop sign out
- Taking evasive action to avoid police
- Drag racing other cars
- Running a stop sign or stoplight
- Driving while intoxicated
- A failure to yield for a pedestrian’s right of way
- Texting while driving
- Crossing a 2-lane highway’s centerline
- Driving more than the posted speed limit
While the list above isn’t exhaustive, it gives you a better idea of what constitutes having little to no regard for the safety of others in regulators’ minds.
Are there long-term implications from a reckless driving conviction?
As mentioned above, a motorist who accumulates too many points on their license may end up with their license suspended. Statistics show that motorists convicted of reckless driving also end up seeing their auto insurance increase by up to 87.5%. A motorist convicted of reckless driving may also face imprisonment and have fines imposed.
The situation could even be worse for you if you’re a commercial carrier. You may incur too many points in the federal government’s scoring system. If you do, then they could revoke your commercial driver’s license.
Most motorists are accustomed to paying a ticket and not worrying about the consequences of their conviction. You can’t do that with reckless driving, though. You must instead confront such charges head-on. An attorney can let you know what that might entail.