4. Reckless Driving.

Reckless driving is a moving violation in which a driver displays a disregard for the rules of the road, and our San Diego car accident lawyers know that reckless drivers are a major cause of car accidents. In essence, reckless drivers put themselves and others at risk. As such, reckless driving offenders are punished by fines, jail time, and/or driver’s license suspension or revocation.

Reckless Driving Often Involves More Than One Traffic Violation

Disregard for the safety of people or property is a common element in reckless driving car accidents. Reckless driving acts include, but are not limited to, the following:

These traffic offenses alone don’t constitute reckless driving, but a combination of traffic violations or aggravating circumstances can support a reckless driving charge.

Excessive Speeding Alone Can Be Reckless Driving

While speeding alone isn’t usually considered reckless driving, an extremely high rate of speed might lead an officer to charge someone with reckless driving. When other mitigating factors are involved, speeding might lead to a reckless driving charge. These factors, along with speed, include:

Presence of pedestrian traffic
Time of day
Traffic conditions
Visibility
Width and surface of the roadway.

Alcohol and Drugs Also Lead to Reckless Driving

Everyone that gets behind the wheel knowing that they are drunk or impaired are by definition reckless drivers, in that drunk or drugged drivers put the lives of everyone on the road at risk. According to the courts, however, reckless driving and DUI (or DWI) offenses are separate crimes, and drivers may sometimes be charged with both crimes.

Teenagers Often Engage in Reckless Driving

When parents are out of sight, teenage drivers — who are just starting to get a feel for the road — engage in reckless driving behavior to impress their friends and test their limits. Teens want to be “cool” and part of the group, and they test their limits. Many times, their ambitions get in the way of sound judgment.

Our car accident lawyers have handled terrible cases where teen drivers died because of reckless driving or drunk driving accidents that were easily preventable. In fact, most car accidents can be prevented by following these simple tips:

Always wear a seatbelt
Avoid distractions caused by passengers, cell phones, food, or loud music
Don’t speed
Obey all traffic signs
And try not to drive when tired.

Not every automobile accident can be prevented, but you can control whether or not you cause a serious car crash.

Call Our Attorneys Now If You’ve Been Injured by a Reckless Driver

If you’ve been injured in a car accident that was caused by a reckless driver then call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer to find out if we can help you.

For almost two decades, our San Diego law office has worked primarily on automobile accident injury claims. Let our experience be your guide. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis — which means you owe nothing until we recover money on your behalf — and we look forward to providing good advice so that you can make smart decisions about your case.

Most Recent Blog Post

[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.