How to Handle a Reckless Driving Charge

Reckless driving charges are a blanket offense that can cover a variety of different automotive crimes. Reckless driving charges are often assessed by police officers in cases where they want to charge you with a misdemeanor but may not have enough proof to hold you for a DUI, or for a more serious criminal charge. If you have received a reckless driving charge, there are certain ways to handle it so that your fines and penalties are lessened or even eliminated. Determining the reason for your reckless driving charge will help to determine what method you should use to handle it.

Coping With Reckless Driving Charges

• If you were issued a reckless driving charge because you were captured on radar exceeding the speed limit by a high margin – usually 20-30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit – you can often handle the charges by casting aspersions upon the training and calibration of the officer and the radar equipment used to post your speed.

For example, if the officer is not properly trained and certified to use that type of radar, or if the radar has not been kept calibrated as it is intended to be, you can often handle the reckless driving charge by calling doubt upon whether the equipment might possibly have been faulty, or the officer misused it to post an incorrect speed.

• If your reckless driving charge was due to the suspicion that you might have been intoxicated, you will have to consult a lawyer.

You might argue that the officer did not perform the proper field sobriety tests, or that a breathalyzer examination was administered improperly, causing a faulty reading. If you had alcohol in your blood but were under the legal limit, you may be able to have the case thrown out based on an assertion that yes, you had been drinking, but were not in violation of state DUI laws.

• In many cases, judges will not reduce reckless driving charges, so a potential way to handle it is to try to make a plea bargain with the district attorney or prosecuting state's attorney.

By agreeing to accept responsibility for a lesser charge, you will remove the harmful reckless driving charge from your record and take a charge which will carry lower fines, less fees, and less overall penalties.

Getting Help

You could also attempt to fight the charges by hiring a lawyer and setting a court date. If the officer or district attorney do not show up for the court date, the charges will be thrown out and the case will be dismissed. Your lawyer can also assist you in traffic court and help you to prove your innocence or to get the charges reduced.