The crime of Reckless Endangerment, in Washington, is not in and of itself a driving offense. Very rarely is it charged initially based on driving behavior alone. It comes about normally in one of two ways.
The first is as a companion charge to a DUI when the driver has children in the car. Reckless Endangerment is defined as acting recklessly and creating the substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death. It is not uncommon for someone who has been arrested for a DUI in Washington to be charged with Reckless Endangerment as well. The obvious concern here is that the judges and prosecuting attorneys involved in such a case will treat DUIs where there are children in the car much more severely. If this situation applies in your case, do not delay in contacting a Washington DUI attorney.
The second is as a reduction from the original charge of DUI. The advantage of such a reduction is that unlike Reckless Driving, a conviction for Reckless Endangerment will not result in a suspension of driving privileges. It might, however, still count as a prior DUI offense in case there is a subsequent DUI charge. To discover more about Reckless Endangerment or to find out if a reduction of your Washington DUI charge to this offense makes sense, contact one of our Reckless Endangerment lawyers