It may feel like a fun ride at the time, but a reckless driving charge can result in penalties making your life feel anything but fun. New Hampshire reckless driving laws are designed to punish and punish severely. “ RSA 265:79 Reckless Driving; Minimum Penalty. – Whoever upon any way drives a vehicle recklessly, or causes a vehicle to be driven recklessly, as defined in RSA 626:2, II(c), or so that the lives or safety of the public shall be endangered, or upon a bet, wager, or race, or who drives a vehicle for the purpose of making a record, or who drives a vehicle at a speed of 100 miles per hour or greater, and thereby violates any of the provisions of this title or any rules adopted by the director, shall be, notwithstanding the provisions of title LXII, guilty of a violation and fined not less than $500 plus penalty assessment for the first offense and $750 plus penalty assessment for the second offense nor more than $1,000 plus penalty assessment and his or her license or operating privilege shall be revoked for a period of 60 days for the first offense and from 60 days to one year for the second offense.” What does this law include? Fast starts, chirping the tires, speeding in a school zone, aggressive driving, road rage, racing, fleeing a police officer, passing on a hill crest, drifting on dirt roads and driving on a suspended license to list a few examples. Essentially, to the driver that is charged, it will result in a conviction.
Weare Police Department considers Reckless Operation (burnouts) a serious and potentially deadly act and that is why we take it so seriously. In our mission statement, it reads “We are committed to the prevention of crime and the protection of life and property”, and this is something we strive to achieve every day. Writing a summons for Reckless Operation (RSA 265:79) when we see a young driver doing burnouts is done because of the severity of the offense and it is intended to make them realize that they are potentially putting the lives or safety of the public in danger. When we write a Reckless Operation ticket, it is a must appear. This means we issue the operator a court date and they must appear before a judge, rather than simply paying a fine.
According to the Center for Disease Control motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Fortunately, teen motor vehicle crashes are preventable, and proven strategies can improve the safety of young drivers on the road according to Earl Russell owner of Street Wise Driving Academy. For more information please visit www.streetwisedrivingacademy.org.