Reckless Driving in Washington State: It's a Crime
Reckless driving in Washington isn't like simply receiving a traffic ticket. It's a criminal offense with lasting effects on your driving record, serious fines, and possible jail time. Don't take a reckless driving charge lightly. Ensure you get an experienced legal defense team on your side to help you deal with the charges against you, which can be confusing to navigate through.
When charged with reckless driving, you may have many questions. Will I lose my license? Will I go to jail? Will my insurance rates skyrocket? Will I have to pay severe fines? Will it affect my employment? Your Washington reckless driving defense lawyer can help answer these questions and put your mind at ease.
Reckless driving can be defined as any of the following actions, which typically put the safety of people or property at risk:
- Excessive speeding
- Racing
- Any behavior resulting in loss of control of the vehicle
- Embracing another person — as benign as this may sound, holding another person while driving can affect your vision, steering, shifting, and reaction times
Penalties for reckless driving include:
- Up to one year in jail
- Fines up to $5,000
- Suspension of license for 30 days or more
- High-risk auto insurance
- Increased insurance premiums
- Possible loss of employment
By hiring an attorney as soon as possible, he or she can begin building your case. Although you may feel you have no options, there are ways to fight a reckless driving charge. Your lawyer may argue that you were not, in fact, presenting a risk to any person or property. The speed at which authorities tracked you may be challenged in court. With a well-researched case and taking into consideration your previous driving record, your legal team will work to have the charges against you reduced or even dropped.
The bottom line is that not all traffic violations are the same, so you shouldn't try to handle them all in the same way. If you're charged with reckless driving, get in touch with a Tacoma reckless driving defense attorney as soon as possible, to start building your case and cleaning up your driving record.
