ABA Family Legal Guide

Automobiles

Your Automobile and the Police

Speeding and Other Offenses

What is "reckless driving"?

The language varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but increasingly, states are following the Uniform Vehicle Code, which defines reckless driving as "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property." Essentially, the prosecution must show that the driver was indifferent to the probable harmful results of his or her driving, and that the driver should have realized that such driving posed a hazard.