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How do I fight a reckless driving charge?

Question Details:I got a ticket for reckless driving. The officer said I was speeding and then ran a stop sign when I didn't. He was far away when I made the turn in the first place; even further (he was coming from the opposite direction across the intersection) when he said he clocked my speed over the limit. I wasn't speeding and I didn't run the stop sign but I did accelerate quickly after coming to a stop only to get up to speed for the highway I was entering. Not only that he pulled me over almost a mile away from the stop sign he said that I ran. What are my rights and what can I do about this?

Asked 2 years ago under DUI / DWI | 1116 Views | More Legal Topics

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J.M.A., Member in Good Standing of the Connecticut Bar | FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney Answered 2 years ago

Reckless driving is a very ambiguous statute in most states.  The basic elements of the crime is that you are driving in an unsafe manner and putting people and yourself in harms way with a disregard for safety.  Whether or not the officer saw you, he is going to come to court and lie to justify the charge and the police report he wrote.  Unless you have witnesses to the incident, you are not going to have a good chance at beating the charge.  However, you are entitled to fight the charge and obtain the police report and the radar report showing that the officer clocked you.  Usually, people are successful at dismissing these charges if the police report is inaccurate or the police do not have the radar report to justify the speed.  I suggest however, trying to bargain this down to a simple speeding ticket or running a stop sign.  I also suggest hiring a lawyer if you can afford one as a reckless driving charge can result in a loss of license for 6 months.

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