Reckless driving is one of the most serious offenses that you can be charged with. You might face fines or even imprisonment if you are charged with it. The first thing that you should do when you’re charged is to contact a reckless driving attorney immediately. They will be able to help you go through the steps on how to defend yourself in a court of law.
Reckless driving is an umbrella term. There are different types of reckless driving charges that can be charged on you which carry different punishments. There’s reckless driving for driving too fast for the weather conditions and there’s also one for passing an emergency vehicle.
Know When You’re About to Recklessly Drive
As stated above, there are different behaviors that can be deemed as reckless driving. You have to be aware of these. This will help you avoid being charged with reckless driving. Below are some of the specific violations that are deemed to be reckless:
Excessively speeding
Running a red light or a stop sign
Driving under the influence (DUI)
Evading law enforcement
Failing to yield the right-of-way on purpose
Texting and driving at the same time
Even if the actions above did not lead directly to an accident, you might still be charged with reckless driving.
Use a Navigation App On Your Phone
By using an app that will help you navigate while on the road, you’ll be able to have an idea of how much time it’ll take from point A to point B. Using the information that you have, you should make the necessary adjustments to ensure that you are driving under the speed limit while obeying other laws of the road.
When you use a navigation app, you will also be prepared for what’s coming up on your journey. Instead of being infuriated with the heavy traffic, you will be informed of possible alternative routes to help you get around it.
Keep Your Eyes On the Road
It’s easy to get distracted while driving. A simple text on your phone can take your eyes off the road for a few seconds. To ensure that you’re not distracted, you should put your phone on Do Not Disturb status. Most smartphones have a setting to do this specifically for driving.
You should also avoid fiddling with things on the dashboard such as the radio. If you are having a tough time finding a radio station that you want to listen to, pull over and find your favorite station before going ahead with your road trip.
Take Breaks
Prolonged driving can be incredibly boring which causes the slightest jump in emotions to be amplified. Make sure that you keep road rage in check. If you let road rage get to you, you are more inclined to make reckless actions while driving.
Any reckless driving attorney will tell you that driving while angry is a recipe for an unwinnable case when you have been charged with reckless driving. Taking a break also lets you rest your eyes and hands which may be tired from the distance that you’ve driven so far.
Traffic offenses can bring a ton of headaches and consequences. If you need a reckless driving attorney, contact the Bolger Law Firm today.