Reckless Driving

The operation of a motor vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property, a statutory traffic offense distinguished in most jurisdictions from ordinary negligent or careless driving by requiring proof that the driver was conscious of, and indifferent to, a substantial and unjustifiable risk their driving created, documented conduct constituting reckless driving includes excessive speeding well above the posted limit, weaving aggressively through traffic, racing another vehicle on a public road, or driving while significantly distracted. Reckless driving is prosecuted as a more serious offense than a routine traffic infraction in most jurisdictions, often carrying the possibility of license suspension or a jail sentence, and it is frequently charged as an included or alternative offense when a more serious charge, such as vehicular manslaughter, cannot be proven to the higher standard that charge requires.