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To: Sandy; Rodney King
It's simple to spot a reckless driver--by *seeing* how he's *driving*.

Not necessarily. It is easy to spot an erratic driver. A reckless driver could be driving straight as an arrow until he suddenly and without warning runs into the back of a carload of small children.

Reckless refers to the attitude of the driver, and not the objective manner in which he is driving.

You are confusing the term "reckless" with "erratic." Big Difference. A person can be driving straight as an arrow and be driving reckelssly. A person can also be driving erratically and not necessarily be driving recklessly at all.

Reckless driving does not mean weaving in a lane. Reckless driving is defined as driving indifferently to or disregardful of the consequences.

If you pour 4 beers down your gullet and get behind the wheel, then no matter how carefully and straight you are driving, IMO you are driving recklessly.

151 posted on 08/13/2005 12:53:31 AM PDT by P-Marlowe
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To: P-Marlowe
You are confusing the term "reckless" with "erratic."

I wasn't confusing them; I was equating them. But you're right, erratic is a better word. Re-read my comments and substitute erratic for reckless.

153 posted on 08/13/2005 1:00:35 AM PDT by Sandy
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To: P-Marlowe
Reckless refers to the attitude of the driver, and not the objective manner in which he is driving.

You're talking reckless in the legal sense, I presume. *That's* what's wrong with the DUI laws. Attitude should not be a crime, but bad (or erratic) driving should be. I don't care *why* a person's driving is bad, only that it *is* bad. Penalties should be based on the driving, not based on *why* a person is driving the way he is. People driving without enough sleep are a far greater danger and cause significantly more wrecks than people with a 0.08 blood level. Same goes for teenagers and old people. Neither us driving at 0.08 would be as big a danger as a 0.00 17-year-old or an 85-year-old would be. Notice when an old person has an accident, we actually excuse it *because* he's old rather than arresting him for being the danger that he is? Until we start punishing everyone equally, the law will be an ass. IMHO

159 posted on 08/13/2005 1:19:56 AM PDT by Sandy
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To: P-Marlowe; Sandy; Rodney King
First you say, "Reckless driving is defined as driving indifferently to or disregardful of the consequences." Then you say, "If you pour 4 beers down your gullet and get behind the wheel, then no matter how carefully and straight you are driving, IMO you are driving recklessly." ******************** Websters says: One entry found for careful. Main Entry: care·ful Pronunciation: -f&l Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): care·ful·ler; care·ful·lest 1 archaic a : SOLICITOUS, ANXIOUS b : filling with care or solicitude 2 : exercising or taking care 3 a : marked by attentive concern and solicitude b : marked by wary caution or prudence c : marked by painstaking effort to avoid errors or omissions -- often used with of or an infinitive - care·ful·ly /-f(&-)lE/ adverb ******************** So, you think that someone driving carefully after 4 beers (undefined time) is driving indifferently to or disregarding consequences. Why don't you say that someone who drinks 4 beers can not drive carefully. Your statements above point to an emotionally driven response void of logic. Would you agree to laws that mandate that after 3 moving violations a driver is given a felony? If not, why not? Isn't any moving violation considered wreckless driving?
304 posted on 08/15/2005 1:44:45 PM PDT by CSM ( If the government has taken your money, it has fulfilled its Social Security promises. (dufekin))
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