While people sometimes use the terms careless driving and reckless driving interchangeably, there is actually a difference between the two charges in Florida. Careless driving is a moving violation in the state of Florida. It is generally given to drivers whom police believe to be at fault in an accident. When it comes to reckless driving, it is a criminal charge rather than a traffic infraction. Reckless driving means that the driver was driving in a manner that indicated a willful disregard for the safety of other persons and property. Weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed may constitute a charge of reckless driving.
The Naples News reports on a driver charged with careless driving after an accident shut down Tamiami Trial in North Naples.
81-year-old William George Brady of Fort Meyers was charged with careless driving following a single-vehicle crash that shut down the southbound lanes of U.S. 41. The crash occurred just north of Immokalee Road on Monday afternoon.
The Hyundai Entourage that Brady was driving was steered left for unknown reasons, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
Brady’s vehicle entered the left lane, onto the median, where it struck several palm trees before overturning. The vehicle came to a rest on its roof in the median.
Brady suffered from minor injuries in the crash. His passenger, Ellen M. Ryan, 85, was transported via Med Flight to a hospital.
The crash shut down all but one northbound lane of U.S. Highway 41 and all southbound lanes.