Reckless Driving in Florida: Penalties, Points and Insurance
Florida's base penalty is modest, but it escalates fast: damage to someone's property or person turns it into a first-degree misdemeanor, and serious injury into a felony.
What counts as reckless driving
Florida statute 316.192 defines reckless driving as driving "in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property." Fleeing a law enforcement officer in a vehicle is reckless driving automatically.
Criminal penalties
| Situation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| First conviction | Up to 90 days in jail, or a $25 to $500 fine, or both |
| Second or later conviction | Up to 6 months in jail, or a $50 to $1,000 fine, or both |
| Causes damage to another person's property or person | First-degree misdemeanor: up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 |
| Causes serious bodily injury | Third-degree felony: up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 |
Points and your license
Florida assigns 4 points to a willful and wanton reckless driving conviction (§ 322.27), and the FLHSMV says points stay on your driving record for at least five years from the date of disposition. Points add up to suspensions:
| Points | Within | Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 12 months | Up to 30 days |
| 18 | 18 months | Up to 3 months |
| 24 | 36 months | Up to 1 year |
Getting your license back after a points suspension means completing an Advanced Driver Improvement course and paying a reinstatement fee. Separately, three reckless driving convictions within 12 months bring a mandatory license revocation (§ 322.26).
Reckless driving reduced from a DUI
In Florida, a DUI charge is sometimes resolved with a plea to reckless driving, often called a "wet reckless." It doesn't disappear from view. The FLHSMV records it under its own code, "Reckless Driving – When reduced from DUI", still worth 4 points, so anyone reading your driving record, including an insurer, can see where it came from.
Two rules limit how helpful the reduction is:
- A DUI program may still be required. If the court has reasonable cause to believe alcohol or drugs contributed, § 316.192(5) makes it order a DUI program: substance abuse education, evaluation and any treatment recommended. If you don't finish it, your license is cancelled until you do.
- Some DUIs can't be reduced at all. Under § 316.656, the court can't accept a plea to a lesser offense, or withhold adjudication, when a test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, or when the DUI involved injury, property damage or death.
Because a wet reckless isn't a DUI finding under § 316.193, the FR-44 requirement doesn't apply to it by the statute's terms. How individual insurers price the reduced charge against a plain reckless conviction isn't something we could document.
Racing, stunts and extreme speeding are separate crimes
Some of what people call "reckless driving" falls under other, tougher Florida statutes. Street racing, drag racing, stunt driving (burnouts, doughnuts, drifting, wheelies) and coordinated street takeovers of 10 or more vehicles are covered by § 316.191:
| Racing or stunt offense | Crime | Fine | License revoked |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | First-degree misdemeanor | $500–$2,000 | 1 year |
| Second within 1 year | Third-degree felony | $2,500–$4,000 | 2 years |
| Third within 5 years | Second-degree felony | $3,500–$7,500 | 4 years |
| Organizing a street takeover | Third-degree felony | $2,500–$4,000 | 2 years, and the vehicle can be forfeited |
Since July 1, 2025, Florida also has a separate offense of dangerous excessive speeding (§ 316.1922): driving 50 mph or more over the limit, or 100 mph or faster in a way that threatens people or property. A first offense carries up to 30 days in jail and/or a $500 fine; a second, up to 90 days and/or $1,000, and a license revocation of 180 days to 1 year if it's within five years.
What it does to your insurance rates
| Insurer | Clean record | After reckless driving | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $2,119 | $2,276 | +7% |
| Travelers | $2,356 | $3,592 | +52% |
| GEICO | $2,214 | $3,848 | +74% |
| Progressive | $2,902 | $3,950 | +36% |
| Nationwide | $2,150 | $4,575 | +113% |
| Allstate | $3,569 | $4,671 | +31% |
| National General | $3,103 | $4,751 | +53% |
| Mercury Insurance | $3,358 | $4,962 | +48% |
| Farmers | $3,261 | $8,529 | +162% |
The spread is the story: the increase ranges from +7% (State Farm) to +162% (Farmers) for the same driver. After a reckless driving conviction, comparing quotes is worth more than almost anything else you can do.
Related: FR-44 and SR-22 in Florida · Driving without insurance in Florida
More Florida guides
- Car insurance after a DUI in Florida
- FR-44 and SR-22 requirements in Florida
- DUI under 21 in Florida
- Driving without insurance in Florida
- Driving with a suspended license in Florida
- Car insurance for teen drivers in Florida
- Car insurance for senior drivers in Florida
Sources
- Florida Statutes § 316.192 (2026), reckless driving — accessed September 2026
- Florida Statutes § 322.27 (2026), point system — accessed September 2026
- Insurance.com, "Cheapest car insurance in Florida for high-risk drivers" (full coverage, 100/300/100 liability, $500 deductibles; updated August 2026) — accessed September 2026
- Florida Statutes §§ 316.191, 316.1922, 316.656, 322.26, 324.023, 324.072, 775.082 and 775.083 (2026) — accessed September 2026
- FLHSMV, "Points & Point Suspensions" and Uniform Traffic Citation Manual, Appendix C (revised July 17, 2026) — accessed September 2026
Penalties and points were checked against the official sources above; the rate tables are third-party figures from Insurance.com. See our methodology and disclaimer — this page is general information, not legal advice.