Understanding Reckless Driving Charges in Winter Car Accidents

 Posted on February 18, 2020 in Uncategorized

It is a rare Illinois driver who has not been in or at least seen a winter driving accident. Snow, ice, and prairie winds combine to create treacherous road conditions, resulting in collisions, spin-outs, and skids into ditches. When it happens to us, our first words are likely to be, “It was an accident!” But when law enforcement becomes involved, many of these accidents can result in traffic tickets and even arrests. Here are some recent Illinois incidents we can all learn from:

Driving Too Fast for Weather Conditions

On January 3, 2018, in Champaign County, a 21-year-old driver rolled her car and crashed into a ditch. After being released from the hospital, she was arrested by Illinois state police, who said she was driving too fast for the weather conditions. She was cited for improper lane usage, illegal transportation of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, and driving an uninsured vehicle. Drivers should note that, as of January 2017, Illinois law allows officers to impound a vehicle if a driver has previously been convicted of driving without insurance and is cited for this offense a second time within a year.

Speeding Kills Local Firefighter

A 42-year-old firefighter was killed in a vehicular crash late on the night of January 12, 2018, in Morton, Illinois. He was a passenger in a pickup truck which was being driven over the speed limit, crossed the road’s center line, and collided head-on with a parked vehicle. The vintage truck lacked safety belts, and the passenger was thrown from the truck, after which he died at the scene of the accident. The driver was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and aggravated DUI.

Reckless Driving in Fog Injures Two

On January 9, 2018, in DeKalb County, a 44-year-old man allegedly tried to pass two cars on Highway 30 in dense morning fog and struck an oncoming vehicle head-on. The man was cited for reckless driving and improper overtaking.

Reckless driving is not a charge to be taken lightly. Law enforcement officers have the option to either issue a ticket or arrest the driver. If an arrest is made, the car will be towed and the driver will have to pay a fee to get the car out of impound. The driver will also have to go to court and may well end up with a reckless driving conviction, a Class A misdemeanor, on their record. The penalties for reckless driving are severe and may include up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, community service, traffic safety school, and/or probation.

Protect Your Rights with a Skilled Joliet Traffic Violations Defense Attorney

Reckless driving is one of the most frequently charged traffic violations. If you are cited for this or any other offenses, you need a skilled Will County traffic offenses lawyer who will aggressively defend your rights and work to protect your driver’s license from suspension. Contact the Law Offices of Jack L Zaremba at 815-740-4025 for a free and confidential consultation; phone calls are answered 24 hours a day.