Accidents Around Reckless Drivers in Texas

Reckless driving in Texas is a serious problem that often leads to serious accidents, with some being deadly. Reckless driving is a violation of the laws of Texas, and for those who engage in it, the penalties could be severe, in addition to possible civil liability for the harm caused by their reckless driving.

If a reckless driver caused you injuries, seek help from an Austin car accident attorney right away.

What is Reckless Driving?

Texas Transportation Code 545.401 defines reckless driving as operating a motor vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of other people or property.

Reckless driving is something beyond being negligent and making mistakes. Reckless driving is generally understood to be a driver creating a substantial, unreasonable, and unjustifiable risk of harm to others sharing the road and a deliberate, conscious, and intentional disregard or indifference to that risk. Rather than looking at recklessness from a simple carelessness perspective, reckless driving is best understood as an action that the reckless driver takes that will foreseeably cause harm, yet the reckless driver goes ahead and commits it anyway.

Examples of conduct that can rise to a level of recklessness and cause serious car accidents include the following:

1. Traveling at excessive speeds. Driving at excessively high speeds – generally over 85 miles per hour – can be found to be reckless driving in Texas. While it is the case that many drivers ignore posted speed limits, most of them do not drive excessively above those posted speed limits. For example, driving at 75 miles per hour where the posted speed limit is 65 miles per hour may be careless, but that alone cannot be deemed to be reckless driving. Put another way, a reckless driver is the one zooming by at far greater speeds than the normal traffic speeds.
2. Ignoring traffic laws. Reckless drivers can ignore more than just the speed limit, as they might pass in no-passing zones, weave in and out of traffic, or even intentionally run traffic signals or stop signs.
3. Racing. There are thrill-seekers who deliberately race their cars down roads used by others, either by themselves or with other equally reckless street racers. Street racing poses a substantial danger to both themselves and to everyone else sharing the road. This has become such a problem in recent years that Texas passed two laws to try to curb street racing in 2021.
4. Passing on a blind curve. All drivers know not to cross a solid yellow line on the road to pass another vehicle. All drivers also know roads are clearly marked with a broken yellow line to indicate where passing can occur safely. Unfortunately, however, there are those drivers who ignore these rules and attempt to pass vehicles at a blind curve where the driver cannot possibly see what vehicle is coming in the opposite direction.

Discuss Your Rights with an Austin Car Accident Attorney

If you have been injured in an accident caused by a reckless driver, you want Terry & Kelly Injury Lawyers on your side and evaluate your legal options. Please contact our office today for a free consultation.