This is Roger Ghai and I wanted to talk about the difference between reckless and careless driving. In actuality, about 93% of all accidents on the roadways can be avoided. Again, I’m going to repeat that number. Most of the accidents, a huge number, 93% can actually be avoided because those accidents are due to human error. A lot of times, people are either speeding or changing lanes carelessly or doing things of that nature which causes collision.
As far as what the difference is between legally reckless driving and careless driving, careless driving is more of the simple negligence in a traffic offense like for example, following too closely or for failing to obey a traffic control device, something of that nature. Reckless driving can be quite different though. The reckless driving can be speeding at a high excessive rate of speed. It can be swerving in and out of the lanes in a very dangerous manner.
It can show, on the driver’s part, just an entire lack of care for the safety of other drivers as well as themselves on the highway. Statistics show that in the state of Georgia, 40% of the traffic accidents a lot of times involve the use of cell phones. In fact, it’s 40% of the time that car accidents do involve the use of cell phones. Whether they were the actual contributing factor or just the major factor is not known, but it is significant. In Georgia, the fine for texting and driving is $150 and just one point on your driver’s license.
If the driver has actually been talking or texting while on the telephone, most likely, in most instances, the driver is going to be cited for the negligence and for causing the vehicle accident. A penalty, that is the monetary penalty for reckless driving, is $1,000 and there are many more points if you are charged with reckless driving. I don’t know how many there are but that’s all right. [unintelligible 00:02:28]
In fact, a reckless driver will have four points assigned to their driving record as opposed to just the careless driving which is usually just one point. If your case involved a reckless driver, and that could even mean even a drunk driver, then call my office at 770-792-1000 and I’ll try to help you out.