Results 1 to 2 of 2

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    1

    Default Reckless Driving in New Jersey

    My question involves a reckless driving ticket from the State of: NJ

    Friday night at about 2 AM I was driving a friends car with him present. I took a left hand turn too fast and the sport tires slid on a cold road and I collided with a telephone pole on the side of the road. The collision was not head on, but more of a side swipe. Thankfully, neither of us were hurt at all, the car fared worse, it will most likely be totaled as almost every airbag went off and there is a good amount of damage to the front right axle/suspension.

    The police arrived and asked if I had been drinking, which I had, but literally only 3-4 beers over several hours. I knew that I wasn't drunk and had no reason to lie. I was given a field sobriety test and passed without issue. The officer said he did not believe that my ability was impaired and that he appreciated how upfront and co-operative I had been. He himself said he thought it was just a case of going to fast around a sharp/blind corner. He even drove my friend and I back to my place.

    No ticket was issued at the time, but I received a reckless driving ticket in the mail 5 days later, issued by the other responding officer, not the one I had primarily dealt with. The statute in NJ is 39:4-96. This is the only ticket I received.

    My question is how seriously do I need to consider getting an attorney? I've done some research and I see that the penalties for reckless driving can be quite severe. I've never been in an accident before and haven't received a ticket in over 5 years, and even those were just speeding tickets, never more than 14 MPH over and never in a residential area. My goal would be to get the charge reduced to careless driving or less and obviously not loose my driving privilege or serve and time in jail. Please offer any advice that you can as far as defending myself if the consensus is that an attorney will not be necessary. Thank you all in advance.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Behind a Desk
    Posts
    98,846

    Default Re: Reckless Driving in New Jersey

    Given the consequences of a reckless driving conviction - the fines, but also the insurance increase - it usually makes sense to get help from a lawyer. Also, in most states reckless driving is a misdemeanor meaning it results in a criminal record and carries potential jail time. A lawyer can often get the charge reduced to something less serious, like careless driving, with lesser consequences.

    1. Sponsored Links
       

Similar Threads

  1. Reckless Driving: Reckless Driving in New Jersey
    By njflipp18 in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-11-2009, 10:50 PM
  2. Speeding Tickets: Reckless Driving Violation In New Jersey
    By unluckyguy in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 07-08-2008, 06:03 PM
  3. Reckless Driving: Reckless Driving In New Jersey
    By gusinje in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 06-07-2008, 09:57 PM
  4. Reckless Driving: Reckless Driving Help for New Jersey
    By paintballing112 in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-05-2007, 02:44 PM
  5. Reckless Driving: Reckless Driving in New Jersey
    By MPowerKai in forum Moving Violations, Parking and Traffic Tickets
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-06-2006, 07:39 PM
 
 
Sponsored Links

Legal Help, Information and Resources