Many car accidents happen due to a driver’s negligence. They weren’t trying to do anything wrong—they simply made a mistake. For instance, a driver who doesn’t understand proper following distances could accidentally tailgate the car ahead of them, believing they are driving safely, until traffic suddenly stops and they can’t avoid a rear-end accident.
But reckless driving is a bit different. There’s an element of disregard for the safety of others. The driver is intentionally operating their vehicle in a way that is clearly and obviously unsafe, and they know that’s what they’re doing. Since they choose to do it anyway, they are being reckless and not just negligent.
Excessive speeding
For example, say that a driver is going through a school zone where the speed limit is set at 25. If they are accidentally driving 30 miles an hour, there may just be an element of negligence. They didn’t realize it was a school zone or they didn’t look at the speed limit signs, so they were slightly over the limit.
However, another driver may go through that school zone at 60 miles an hour. This is excessively fast for the road conditions, and it puts pedestrians and children in severe danger. The driver knows that they are breaking the speed limit, as they have more than doubled that limit. Because they were speeding excessively, it could be argued that they were acting recklessly and that an accident they caused could have easily been avoided.
Car accidents happen every day, both due to recklessness and negligence. Those who have been injured need to know how to seek financial compensation.
