Reckless driving legal definition

Reckless driving legal definition

Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced. It may be known as dangerous driving in places other than the United Kingdom where it was a subset of the wider offence of dangerous driving.

It is usually a more serious offense than careless driving, improper driving, or driving without due care and attention and is often punishable by fines, imprisonment, or driver's license suspension or revocation. In the United Kingdom it was a more serious offence than dangerous driving.


Reckless driving is often defined as a mental state which the driver displays a wanton disregard for the rules of the road the driver often misjudges common driving procedures, often causing accidents and other damages. Reckless driving has been studied by psychologists. However, no one cause can be assigned to this state. There are some states, such as Virginia where mental state is not considered, but rather a set of specific violations can be deemed reckless. Excessive speed by itself is sufficient for a reckless driving conviction in some jurisdictions.