If you’re arrested on reckless driving charges, you may wonder how the officer determined that you were acting recklessly. Is it just their opinion? What if you think they’re wrong? You may contend that you did break the speed limit, for instance, but that it wasn’t reckless and you don’t deserve the more advanced charges.
The trouble with the law is that it does leave things open for interpretation. Under Florida law, reckless driving is defined as driving in a manner that shows a “willful or wanton disregard for the safety” of those around you. Examples include things like:
- Running from the police
- Excessive speeding
- Distracted driving
- Drunk or impaired driving
- Street racing
- Swerving aggressively between lanes
- Passing a school bus
- Running a red light or a stop sign
But, even within these examples, you can imagine that there are a lot of gray areas. Say you pull into the passing lane to get around a slower car. Then you see an oncoming car come over the hill. To make the pass in time, you speed up to 90 miles per hour. An officer may say this was a reckless pass at very high speeds, but you may contend that you made a minor mistake — pulling out too close to a hill — and were just driving quickly to increase the safety of those around you.
Have you been arrested?
If you have been accused of reckless driving, it can be far more serious than a standard traffic ticket. You need to know about all of the defense options you have, especially if you feel that the charges were not warranted.