If your reckless driving causes injury or death, you may receive a felony conviction involving years behind bars and thousands of dollar in fines. In addition, you may also face civil liability for compensating the victims for their losses.
If you’ve been charged with reckless driving, you need a skilled and experienced traffic ticket attorney to defend your case. Your freedom, financial security, career, and reputation are all at stake.
What Are the Penalties for Reckless Driving?
According to section 257.626 of the Michigan Vehicle Code, reckless driving is a misdemeanor that could result in a 93-day jail sentence and a fine of up to $500. The statute defines reckless driving as operating a vehicle with “willful or wanton disregard” for the safety and property of others on any highway, road or other open space accessible to the general public, such as parking lots or frozen lakes.
What is considered to be driving with willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others may depend on the circumstances.
Generally, it involves intentionally doing something with the knowledge that it is dangerous. For example, you could face reckless driving charges for doing any of the following:
- Committing road rage
- Tailgating
- Drag racing
- Driving far above the speed limit
- Drifting or doing burnouts
If your conduct was not intentionally dangerous, you may still get charged with careless driving under Michigan Vehicle Code section 257.626b, which prohibits negligent driving. For example, if a police officer catches you veering into another lane because you were adjusting the air conditioning, he or she might cite you for careless driving. If convicted, you would have to pay a civil fine of $100.
In some cases, your Detroit reckless driving attorney may be able to have your reckless driving charge reduced to careless driving. Often times, the only evidence of your misconduct are the observations of law enforcement and a police report. A skilled lawyer may be able to minimize the importance of this evidence and demonstrate that there is some doubt as to whether you were truly driving with wanton and willful disregard for the safety of others.
