New Jersey Reckless Driving Attorneys

Aggressive Driving Defense Lawyers in Cherry Hill, NJ

Whenever a motorist is stopped by a New Jersey police officer, the officer has the prerogative to decide the applicable level of charges to hold against the driver. This means the officer can charge the driver with reckless driving or a lesser charge based on the circumstances. While such a judgment may take no more than a few seconds to make, it can have potentially serious and long-term consequences, especially if you have priors or a record of any kind. Do not underestimate the severity of a reckless driving charge. Contact our experienced New Jersey reckless driving attorneys to fight the jail, fines, license suspension, and higher premiums that you may face with a reckless driving charge on your record.

Protect your driving record and minimize the impact of traffic violations – consult The Law Offices of Christopher St. John’s skilled attorneys for experienced legal representation and strategic defense. Call 856-296-3481 or fill out our online contact form for a consultation.

Defending Against Reckless Driving Charges with Highly Proficient Aggressive Driving Defense Lawyers in Haddonfield, NJ

NJ Rev Stat § 39:4-96 (2013) – the New Jersey Revised Statutes on motor vehicles and traffic regulation – contains the definitions and punishments related to reckless driving. As per this statute, anyone who drives a vehicle heedlessly, in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others, or in a manner to endanger or be likely to endanger a person or property is guilty of reckless driving. The applicable punishments are imprisonment in county or municipal jail for no more than 60 days, fines of between $50 and $200, or both.

Matters can become complicated, however, if other charges are added to your reckless driving charges, such as vehicle manslaughter, property damage, or other traffic violations. If you are charged separately for these additional charges, the overall penalties you face can substantially ramp up.

If you have been charged with reckless driving, speak with our New Jersey reckless driving attorneys today. We will inform you about your legal options for making well-informed decisions about how to proceed. We will review the case facts and provide you with legal guidance on how to beat or lower the charges based on our extensive experience handling traffic violation cases and charges of all kinds across New Jersey.

Beating a Reckless Driving Charge and Avoiding a Conviction with Our Skilled New Jersey Reckless Driving Attorneys

Similar to criminal cases, if you do not plead guilty to your reckless driving charges, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you broke the law. This means that the prosecutor must show that, based on the legal definition of reckless driving, you drove with willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others, that too in a manner that was likely to endanger others. You have every right to challenge reckless driving charges and to have the The Law Offices of Christopher St. John legal team and our aggressive driving defense lawyer in Haddonfield, NJ represent you.

To beat a reckless driving charge, we will challenge the police officer’s basis for assuming that you willfully made the alleged driving violation for which you were charged. Because your intent is a key difference between reckless driving and careless driving, our focus on dismissing or lowering your charges starts here.

Next, in addition to having to prove that you willfully intended to drive recklessly, the prosecution must also prove that you were operating the vehicle in question whenever moving offenses are involved. This usually requires actual observation or evidence that proves that the defendant was operating or had the intention to operate a vehicle. An example of evidence that can be used to prove this is the defendant sitting in a running vehicle when approached by law enforcement or the officer encountered the defendant. This kind of evidence is sometimes only available via the testimony of the officer in question, and they are not always available or prepared to testify in such cases, which means we can potentially throw out such evidence so that it is not held against you during your proceedings.

Don’t let a traffic violation jeopardize your driving privileges – contact The Law Offices of Christopher St. John’s knowledgeable legal team to challenge charges, reduce penalties, and safeguard your license.

Other defensive strategies our New Jersey reckless driving attorneys can use to dismiss or lower your charges include:

• Proving a lack of probable cause
• A failure of the officer to advise you of your Miranda rights upon your arrest
• A case of mistaken identity
• Witnesses who are unavailable or unreliable

In many cases, our skilled and aggressive driving defense lawyer in Haddonfield, NJ can have traffic offense charges reduced or dismissed when there is no property damage or personal injury involved and the defendant has a clean driving or criminal record as well as good standing in the community.

If none of these strategies work, a final alternative in which we can have your charges dismissed without a trial is to agree to a conditional discharge. In these cases, you must first complete New Jersey’s probation program, after which the reckless driving charge can be removed from your record. However, you are only eligible if you have no prior convictions or diversions on your record such as Conditional Discharges, Pretrial Interventions, Drug Court programs, or equivalent programs in other states. You cannot have a disorderly persons offense or a petty disorderly persons offense on your record either.

For more information on moving forward, please speak with our aggressive driving defense lawyer in Haddonfield, NJ today.