Reckless Driving in California: Penalties, Points and Insurance

The criminal penalties are moderate. The insurance hit is not: in California, some insurers roughly quadruple the premium after a reckless driving conviction.

What counts as reckless driving

Under Vehicle Code § 23103, it's reckless driving to drive on a highway, or in an off-street parking facility, "in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property."

Criminal penalties

Situation	Penalty
Reckless driving (§ 23103)	5 to 90 days in county jail, or a $145 to $1,000 fine, or both
Reckless driving that causes bodily injury to someone else (§ 23104)	30 days to 6 months in county jail, or a $220 to $1,000 fine, or both

Reckless driving causing great bodily injury carries heavier penalties under § 23104(b).

Points

A reckless driving conviction adds 2 points to your California driving record (Vehicle Code § 12810), the same as a DUI or a hit-and-run, compared with 1 point for most ordinary moving violations.

What it does to your insurance rates

Insurer	Clean record	After reckless driving	Change
GEICO	$1,919	$3,466	+81%
Mercury Insurance	$2,031	$3,616	+78%
Progressive	$2,179	$3,850	+77%
Travelers	$2,460	$5,250	+113%
Auto Club Enterprises (AAA)	$2,466	$7,730	+213%
Nationwide	$2,799	$8,024	+187%
CSAA Insurance (AAA)	$2,600	$9,392	+261%
State Farm	$2,701	$9,499	+252%
Allstate	$2,627	$10,478	+299%
Farmers	$3,035	$12,025	+296%
USAA*	$1,827	$3,465	+90%

Average annual full-coverage premiums (100/300/100 liability, $500 deductibles) from Insurance.com's California high-risk analysis, updated August 2026. Percentages are our calculation from those figures; the median increase across these insurers is 187%. *USAA is only available to military members, veterans and their families.

The spread is the story: the increase ranges from +77% (Progressive) to +299% (Allstate) for the same driver. After a reckless driving conviction, comparing quotes is worth more than almost anything else you can do.

In Insurance.com's California data, 8 of the 11 insurers above charge exactly the same premium after reckless driving as after a DUI, which suggests they treat both as the same class of major violation. See what a DUI costs, compared across publishers.

Related: SR-22 in California · Car insurance after a DUI in California