Reckless Driving – Elements – California Vehicle Code 23103
Orange County Reckless Driving Attorney
Reckless driving is a misdemeanor in California. If you are charged with reckless driving, the following is what the jury will be instructed and the elements that the prosecutor must prove in order to convict you. If you’re charged with reckless driving, call the Law Offices of Nam Q. Doan | OC Legal Defense at (714) 248-DOAN (3626) today. I will help you get your case dismissed.
The defendant is charged with reckless driving in violation of Vehicle Code section 23103.
To prove that the defendant is guilty of this crime, the People must prove that:
- The defendant drove a vehicle (on a highway/in an off-street parking facility); AND
- The defendant intentionally drove with wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.
A person acts with wanton disregard for safety when (1) he or she is aware that his or her actions present a substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm, and (2) he or she intentionally ignores that risk. The person does not, however, have to intend to cause damage.
[If you conclude that the defendant drove faster than the legal speed limit, that fact by itself does not establish that the defendant drove with wanton disregard for safety. You may consider the defendant’s speed, along with all the surrounding circumstances, in deciding whether the defendant drove with wanton disregard for safety.]
[A vehicle is a device by which people or things may be moved on a road or highway. A vehicle does not include a device that is moved only by human power or used only on stationary rails or tracks.]
[The term highway describes any area publicly maintained and open to the public for purposes of vehicular travel, and includes a street.]
[The term[s] (vehicle/ [and] highway) (is/are) defined in another instruction to which you should refer.]
[An off-street parking facility is an off-street facility open for use by the public for parking vehicles. It includes a facility open to retail customers, where no fee is charged for parking.]