Reckless Driving in Georgia: Penalties, Points and Insurance

For adults it's a misdemeanor and 4 points. For drivers under 21, a Georgia reckless driving conviction suspends the license outright.

What counts as reckless driving

Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-390, reckless driving is driving any vehicle "in reckless disregard for the safety of persons or property." The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) gives examples: speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, and improper passing.

Penalties

Reckless driving is a misdemeanor. The statute allows a fine of up to $1,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both, and the court can suspend the sentence or impose probation instead. Georgia treats aggressive driving (§ 40-6-397) as a separate, more serious offense — a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature worth 6 points.

Two related offenses often come with a reckless driving charge:

• Super speeder (§ 40-6-189): driving 75 mph or more on a two-lane road, or 85 mph or more anywhere. On top of the local fine, the state charges a $200 fee, due within 120 days of the notice. If you don't pay, your license is suspended and reinstating it costs another $50.
• Racing and reckless stunt driving (§ 40-6-186): a misdemeanor. DDS lists a 12-month suspension for a first conviction, 3 years for a second within five years, and habitual-violator revocation for a third.

Drivers under 21

For a driver under 21, a reckless driving conviction suspends the license automatically, by operation of law under § 40-5-57.1. The court takes the license at conviction. The same rule applies to racing, hit-and-run, fleeing an officer, DUI, and any offense worth 4 or more points.

Points

A reckless driving conviction adds 4 points to your Georgia license. Most offenses on the DDS schedule are worth between 1 and 6 points, and 15 points within 24 months suspends your license. The 24 months are counted from the arrest dates of the earlier offenses that led to convictions to the date of the latest arrest, and a second or later nolo contendere plea counts as a conviction.

You can take points off. Finishing a DDS-certified defensive driving course removes up to 7 points, once every five years (§ 40-5-86); the course costs $95 when it's taken for points reduction or reinstatement. If you do reach 15 points and you're 21 or older, a first points suspension can be lifted as soon as you complete the course, with a limited permit available in the meantime. Reinstatement costs $200 by mail or $210 in person the first time, $300/$310 the second and $400/$410 the third, and there's no limited permit on a third suspension.

Reckless driving reduced from a DUI

Georgia has no formal "wet reckless" statute. When a DUI charge ends in a reckless driving conviction, it's a negotiated plea under § 40-6-390, and prosecutors aren't required to offer it. The practical difference is large: a reckless driving conviction carries 4 points instead of a DUI's consequences, and it doesn't trigger SB 121's three years of higher insurance minimums. Insurers can still see it, though, and in the rate data below, half of the insurers charge the same after reckless driving as after a DUI.

What it does to your insurance rates

Average annual full-coverage premiums (100/300/100 liability, $500 deductibles, for a 40-year-old driver with good credit and a Honda Accord LX) from Insurance.com's Georgia high-risk analysis, updated August 2026. Percentages are our calculation from those figures; the median increase across these insurers is 50%. *USAA is only available to military members, veterans and their families.

The spread is the story: the increase ranges from +7% (State Farm) to +93% (Mercury Insurance) 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 Georgia data, 4 of the 8 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-22A in Georgia · Driving without insurance in Georgia

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• Driving without insurance in Georgia
• Driving with a suspended license in Georgia