If you’re arrested for driving while intoxicated, you may also be charged with reckless driving depending on the circumstances. If convicted, you stand to incur serious, life-altering consequences. With the help of an experienced Ocean City, Maryland criminal defense lawyer, you can start building a strong defense against both. Here’s how and who you can call.

Reckless Driving Explained

Reckless driving is a serious traffic offense that can lead to jail time, loss of your driver’s license, and expensive fines. Reckless driving is generally defined as driving in a manner that endangers the lives or property of others. Some examples include speeding, running red lights or stop signs, weaving in and out of traffic, making illegal U-turns, and tailgating.

Reckless driving is often seen as a youthful indiscretion, but anyone can engage in risky driving behavior to get thrills and excitement. This is especially true when a person’s judgment is clouded by alcohol or drugs. If you are convicted, you could face jail time, loss of your driver’s license, and expensive fines.

Fighting Both In Court

In some cases, a person may be arrested for both DWI and reckless driving. This can happen if the police officer believes that the driver was not only intoxicated but was also driving recklessly. A person who is convicted of both DWI and reckless driving may face more severe penalties than if they had only been convicted of one charge.

If you’re facing both charges, you’ll need to mount a defense against each one. For the DWI charge, you may be able to argue that you weren’t impaired at the time of the incident. This is especially true if your blood alcohol content was close to the legal limit. This will require presenting evidence about your sobriety at the time, such as eyewitness testimony or video footage.

For the reckless driving charge, you’ll need to show that your actions didn’t rise to the level of recklessness. This may require expert testimony about traffic patterns or accident reconstruction. If you have a strong defense for both charges, you may be able to get one or both of the charges dropped.

How an Ocean City Defense Lawyer Can Help

If you have been charged with both DWI and reckless driving, it is important to contact an experienced lawyer right away. An attorney will know how to mount a viable defense against each of these charges to help you get the best possible outcome in your case. They may also be able to negotiate with the prosecutor to get the charges reduced or dismissed.

Contact defense attorney Richard Brueckner today by calling 410-430-1464. Serving Ocean City, Maryland, and surrounding areas.