Lynnwood Reckless Driving Attorney

WHAT IS RECKLESS DRIVING?

Reckless Driving is defined by RCW 46.61.500 as "any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property."

As you can see, the problem with the legal definition of Reckless Driving is that it is very broad. If an officer has charged you with Reckless Driving the officer also had the choice to issue one or several traffic infractions instead.

For example, if an officer has charged you with Reckless Driving for speeding, the officer could have just written you a speeding ticket instead. There is a great deal of discretion when it comes to Washington Reckless Driving charges.

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR RECKLESS DRIVING IN WASHINGTON?

Reckless Driving is a gross misdemeanor crime and carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $5000 fine. Furthermore a conviction of Reckless Driving carries a mandatory driver's license suspension of 30 days. To make matters worse, once your 30 day license suspension is up, you will be required to maintain SR-22 (high risk) insurance for 3 years. This can be embarrassing and very costly.

If you are charged with Reckless Driving you will be required to appear in court on a regular criminal calendar. If you retain a defense attorney your attorney will be able to waive your first appearance, known as an arraignment. All is not lost if you are facing a Reckless Driving charge.

I routinely defend these charges on a daily basis. Given the overly-broad definition of the crime we are often very successful at getting these types of charges reduced to infractions or thrown out. We can also improve your chances by having you do a traffic class to show the court that you are willing to learn from the experience.

If you have questions about how to protect your legal rights, contact a Lynnwood reckless driving defense attorney at The Law Offices of Lance Fryrear for the answers you need. We are experienced criminal defense lawyers serving King County, Snohomish County and many of the surrounding areas. We can answer your questions following a reckless driving charge.

Negligent Driving Of A Motor Vehicle in Lynnwood, Washington

Sometimes when an officer pulls someone over for suspicion of DUI, the officer does not get enough evidence to charge DUI. There are many reasons for this, including a low breath test result, problems with the breath test machine, or the officer being called to another urgent matter. In these circumstances, the officer will often charge a lesser crime know as Negligent Driving First Degree.

Commonly known as "Neg 1", Washington law RCW 46.61.5249 defines Negligent Driving First Degree as:

"A person is guilty of negligent driving in the first degree if he or she operates a motor vehicle in a manner that is both negligent and endangers or is likely to endanger any person or property, and exhibits the effects of having consumed liquor or an illegal drug."

It does not take much for an officer to report someone as a negligent driver. Essentially, any violation of the rules of the road, such as speeding, swerving, or failing to signal can be enough. However, the officer will need to show that you had recently consumed alcohol or an illegal drug.

The good news is that this is a lesser charge than DUI and does not include mandatory suspension of your driver's license. The bad news is that this is still a serious criminal offense and is often punished by jail time, fines, and alcohol treatment.

In some cases, the prosecutor will even overrule the police officer and amend the charge up to a full DUI. For this reason, it is imperative that any Negligent Driving First Degree offense be dealt with immediately by consulting a Lynnwood reckless driving attorney. Negligent Driving - First Degree is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment up to 90 days and a fine of up to $1,000 or both.

Fighting For Your Rights in Lynnwood, Washington

We have a track record of obtaining excellent results throughout the years. We will aggressively investigate your case and prepare the best legal defense we can. As a former Prosecutor, our lead attorney handled over 20,000 cases; this gives our firm an edge in the fight to keep you out of jail.

During your initial consultation, you will learn what you can do to improve your chances in court, how to miss less work by getting your first court date waived and what to do to avoid jail while waiting for your trial. In order to obtain the best outcome for your defense: don't wait, call us today: (425) 224-7075.