Winston-Salem Careless and Reckless Driving Lawyer

The law defines reckless driving as operating a motor vehicle with a willful disregard for the safety of others or at a speed or manner that endangers people or property. Reckless driving is more serious than a typical traffic infraction, as it is considered a criminal offense that could lead to jail time in North Carolina. Unlike routine speeding tickets or minor moving violations, reckless driving is treated as a misdemeanor and carries the weight of a criminal charge on your record.

You can be charged with reckless driving for traveling at high speed or weaving through traffic dangerously. Often, people are ticketed for this offense due to a combination of dangerous behaviors. Even if no one is injured and no accident occurs, law enforcement may still charge a driver with reckless driving based solely on their behavior behind the wheel.

As our Winston-Salem attorneys can further explain during an initial consultation, the offense of careless driving is categorized as a lesser offense compared to reckless driving, while reckless driving is deemed a lesser offense in comparison to aggressive driving. As a result, there is often a lack of clarity surrounding these three driving offenses. Although they are distinct crimes as defined by North Carolina law, they are frequently used interchangeably, leading to confusion.

North Carolina Law § 20-140 defines reckless driving as:

Any person who drives any vehicle upon a highway or any public vehicular area carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others shall be guilty of reckless driving.

Any person who drives any vehicle upon a highway or any public vehicular area without due caution and circumspection and at a speed or in a manner so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property shall be guilty of reckless driving.