Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Fair Punishment Team
Reckless driving can be defined as the violation of a ticket that has been given for a number of reasons. These reasons depend on the state that you are driving in. This is due to the fact that in some states, reckless driving can also be referred to as careless driving. In other states it is true that reckless and careless driving are separate things and so they entail different charges.
It is true that reckless driving can cover a number of driving infractions, and these infractions are usually speeding excessively, or street racing, or even eluding a police officer if you are in a car chase. It is important to mention that this is a ticket that can have severe consequences or limitations on your driving license.
How To Contest Your Reckless Driving Ticket
It is true that you can contest your reckless driving ticket, but different states will have different procedures for contesting a ticket. Most of the time, you will be able to write to the court or you will be able to call the court in order to set a hearing date. When you have set a hearing date, you will be able to determine whether or not you will need to hire a lawyer.
This is not something that you will have to struggle through or try to work out on your own. You can enlist the help of an experienced attorney just to help you to navigate the court system and this will enable you to have the best chance of success.
It is crucial that you get a copy of the police record, to do this you might have to write to the court or even to the police department who has issued the ticket, and you will then have to pay a small fee. You will need to ensure that you get a copy of the police report, this is so that you know exactly what behavior is visible on the public record.
This is a document that you will really need to read through carefully, and in doing this you can isolate any discrepancies within the record or you can find any incorrect facts within the report.
If there were any witnesses of the incident, then you should ask them to outline to you what happened. They should do this in their own words and without any influence. When they have done this, you can compare what they have said to the police records of what they have said.
It is true that you can enlist the help of an attorney to review and inspect the police report, and then if this comes to a trial the attorney will be permitted to question the witnesses so as to prove your innocence.
Going To Court: The Process
So, when you go to court you will most likely be offered a plea at first. This could mean that you end up pleading guilty to a lesser charge or a traffic ticket. An experienced attorney will be able to help you to decide whether or not you should fight your ticket in court, or whether or not you should take the plea that you have been offered.
The plea could end up coming with conditions or even a probation. This is something that you should really consider carefully before taking the plea. Here’s the thing, taking the plea will not mean that your reckless driving ticket has been dismissed. This simply means that you have decided to plead guilty to a much lesser charge.
Pleading Innocent In Court
If you have decided not to take the plea bargain, then you will go to court. You will plead guilty or innocent to the reckless driving charge. If you decide to plead innocent then a trial date will be set for a hearing to happen on your reckless driving charge. The hearing is where you will bring to light all of the information which has been available to you within the police report.
A lawyer will be able to question any witnesses who were present at the time of the incident, and they will also be able to make arguments on your behalf. Again, depending on your state the judge or a jury will be the ones who end up making the final decision.
If the verdict is that you are innocent then your reckless driving ticket will be dismissed. However, it is important to note that if you are guilty then you will end up being stuck with a reckless driving ticket on your record.
How Long Will A Reckless Driving Charge Stay On Your Record?
If the court decision does not go your way, and you end up getting stuck with the reckless driving charge, then you will be wondering how long this charge will end up staying on your record for.
It is true that reckless driving is legally considered to be a major moving traffic violation, and for a lot of companies they can actually end up deeming potential employees to be unacceptable if their record shows that they have a reckless driving charge within the past two years.
In case you hadn’t guessed this already, reckless driving does not work wonders for your auto insurance policy… These effects are not fun to contend with. But, it is always important to know how clean your record is and also what is on it, and how long the reckless driving charge could be on your record for.
Let’s Talk Driving Record Expungement
This is something that can end up being your driving record’s best friend. In some states your driving record will be expunged at certain intervals and this means that entries from offences and also the associated points will end up being removed.
So, if your license has never been revoked or if your license has never been suspended for safety reasons, then your record might be expunged after three years. If your license has been suspended only once then the offence might be expunged after five years. If your license was revoked, and you also have a lot of safety offences then it might be expunged after ten years.
This is an automatic process for all incidents. It is important that you check what your specific state does, because some states even offer the reduction of points on your license if you complete certain disciplinary measures or if you are just on best behavior.
