What is Considered Reckless Driving in South Carolina

What is Considered Reckless Driving in SC?

All motorists in SC have a legal duty to follow the road rules and drive safely. Unfortunately, some motorists drive negligently, and others take it a step further and choose to drive recklessly. Reckless driving is much worse than negligence because it involves a driver intentionally violating the traffic laws without caring about the safety of others they share the road with.

It is one of the most dangerous traffic offenses because it can lead to devastating motor vehicle crashes and life-changing or fatal injuries. If you or a loved one were hurt in a crash due to another motorist’s reckless driving acts, our SC car accident attorney at the Law Office of Craig Brown can help you recover compensation to cover your accident-related losses through a personal injury claim.

What Exactly is Reckless Driving?

Put simply, reckless driving entails a driver driving in a manner that displays no regard for other people’s safety. It is a conscious and flagrant decision to drive dangerously, knowing that their actions could cause an accident and injure others. Essentially, reckless drivers do not care about how their actions will affect other road users.

Take note that recklessness implies an intention to act negligently. When a driver acts negligently and knows that they are acting negligently, they will be considered reckless under the eyes of the law because they failed to consciously exercise reasonable care. For instance, if a driver slowly passes a school bus and doesn’t stop but is driving carefully and looking out for kids who might get hurt, they will only be guilty of illegally passing the school bus but not reckless driving.

If, on the other hand, the driver passes the school bus while speeding and without regard for kids who might get hurt because of their actions, they will be found guilty of reckless driving and illegally passing the school bus. This is because the driver should’ve known or knew that their actions put other people’s safety at risk.

It’s also crucial to note that a driver can be considered a reckless driver even if they did not necessarily break a traffic law. For instance, a driver who’s very sleepy but continues driving regardless of their condition will be considered a reckless driver under the law because they have shown a willful disregard for others’ safety.

When motorists do not care to follow traffic laws and have no regard for other road users’ safety and property, the consequences can be immensely severe, even deadly. Fortunately, when their reckless actions lead to a crash and injure others, the injured victims have the right to seek compensation from the reckless driver, regardless of whether the driver gets a reckless driving charge or conviction.

Reach out to the Law Office of Craig Brown right away if you have been injured in a reckless driving accident in SC. To learn how our SC car accident attorney can secure compensation for your losses, please call our office at 843-676-0169 or send us an online message to schedule your case evaluation.