The State of Florida takes reckless driving charges seriously. Even a conviction on a first offense is punishable. You could face up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. Under certain circumstances, a felony could result from a reckless driving charge. Other long-term consequences can follow a reckless driving conviction that might affect a person’s employment, educational and housing opportunities. You can even expect car insurance premiums to rise significantly.
As per Florida Statutes section 316.192, a person is guilty of reckless driving if he or she drives a vehicle in a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. Speed alone does not constitute reckless driving. There needs another unlawful behavior coupled with it. The most common example of reckless driving might be when a driver willfully and wantonly disregards a stop sign and causes a crash when blowing through that stop sign at 50 mph. Under those circumstances, there is a high likelihood of a reckless driving charge. However, they are unlikely to receive a reckless driving charge if they rolled through that same stop sign at one or two mph and hit another vehicle.
When charged with reckless driving, it’s perfectly within the discretion of the prosecution to offer to reduce that charge to a lesser offense in return for a plea of guilty. If that is acceptable to the defendant. It’s still within a judge’s discretion to accept that plea of guilty with the terms and conditions of it. For example, they can reduce the charges from reckless driving to careless driving or failure to yield the right-of-way in return for a plea of guilty along with payment of a fine and court costs. If a judge accepts that plea of guilty, they order the terms and conditions of the plea.
Every case stands on its own set of facts. There are times when a reckless driving charge might be excessive under the circumstances. If seeking a reduction in charges you will need an experienced and effective Florida traffic attorney.
Contact Tampa’s Traffic Ticket Lawyer, RHINO Lawyers
If you received this type of ticket or a careless driving ticket, contact the RHINO Lawyers.
As a tough, thick-skinned law firm we offer a robust approach to traffic ticket defense and all Florida driver’s license issues. Our criminal defense team knows the importance of keeping you in the driver’s seat with a clean driving record. Moving violations can easily result in dramatically increased automobile insurance rates, substantial fines, and even driver’s license suspension. Disputing your citation is your only chance of getting it dismissed, even if you think you are “guilty.”
