How to Minimize the Impact of a Reckless Driving Charge

In reality, the only method to minimize the impact of a reckless driving charge is through the assistance of legal counsel. As with most traffic violations offenses, a driver and their legal counsel have considerable ground to dispute the citation or charge, and if a dismissal is not possible, the courts are often willing to negotiate with a driver on the terms and penalties of a proposed guilty plea. How every state, and in turn, every different jurisdiction within that state, handles a reckless driving charge will widely vary. In most instances of a single citation of reckless driving, drivers have sufficient grounds to contest the charge or citation. However, as commonly seen in many criminal cases, law enforcement will tack on a reckless driving charge to any criminal conduct involving a motor vehicle. Likewise, these charges are easily dismissed or dropped, but often as part of a larger plea bargain deal concerning the other associated criminal charges, which may or may not be dismissible.

Understand the Implications of a Reckless Driving Conviction

From the onset, many drivers are concerned about the cost of legal counsel to represent their case. From a practical perspective, a reckless driving charge carries penalties in only fines and court fees that will be larger than the cost of legal counsel. Furthermore, a driver convicted of reckless driving will face insurance premium increases (unless they are immediately dropped from their insurance coverage provider, which does happen) up to triple their current premium rates, most likely for a period of at least one (1) to three (3) years following the conviction. If that figure alone is not sufficient reason to retain legal counsel to mitigate the impact of a reckless driving charge, the following other problems will arise for drivers upon conviction:

More costs, most likely imbedded in part of a sentencing deal that requires costly traffic school attendance and other forms of alternative sentencing, which are the financial burden of the offender exclusively

Depending on the state, the offender (driver) faces automatic license suspension. In turn, the license suspension period will prevent a driver from driving for a set period of time, and in addition, cost a driver more to have their license reinstated or garner some form of a hardship license

Depending on the state, the point total tacked onto one’s license will create a situation where a driver is only a few points away from points-based license suspension or revocation. This means that any other traffic violation, including simple violations, can result in license suspension and the associated problems for a driver

Getting Legal Help with Knowing How to Mitigate These Consequences

From the onset, a driver should consult with legal counsel about the potential to have their reckless driving citation dismissed. There are numerous grounds under which this may occur, but only with legal counsel can an accurate determination be made as to whether a given driver may be able to do so. Furthermore, many large municipal areas have streamlined the process of handling serious traffic violations, and in certain cases, a favorable plea bargain may be obtained by legal counsel that reduces the outstanding charges significantly for a driver, as well as the potential penalties.

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