Reckless and Aggressive Driving
IC 9-21-8-52 — reckless driving is a Class C misdemeanor, and a Class A misdemeanor with an injury
A driver who recklessly drives so fast or so slow for the conditions as to endanger others' safety or property or block the flow of traffic, passes on a slope or curve with less than 500 feet of clear view, weaves in and out of a line of traffic, or speeds up or refuses half the road to a driver trying to pass, commits reckless driving.
Who handles this in Indiana: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Indiana directory.
| Reckless driving that | Level |
|---|---|
| Reckless driving thatDoes none of the below | LevelClass C misdemeanor |
| Reckless driving thatDamages someone else's property | LevelClass B misdemeanor |
| Reckless driving thatCauses bodily injury | LevelClass A misdemeanor |
Where reckless driving damages property or hurts someone, the court may recommend suspending the driver's license for a fixed period of not more than one year.
- Aggressive driving is three or more of these in one episode of continuous driving: following too closely, unsafe operation, passing on the right off the roadway, unsafe stopping or slowing, needless horn, failing to yield, disobeying a traffic control device, unsafe speed, and repeatedly flashing headlights.
- Doing it knowingly or intentionally, meaning to harass or intimidate someone in another vehicle, is aggressive driving, a Class A misdemeanor.
- It does not apply to a law enforcement official doing official duties.
Most other breaches of the chapter of rules of the road are Class C infractions, and Class A infractions when they result in bodily injury, with the sections that set their own penalties excepted.
Sources for this section (3)
- IC 9-21-8-52 — Reckless driving; passing a school bus with extended stop arm; penalty; license suspension
- IC 9-21-8-55 — Aggressive driving
- IC 9-21-8-49 — Violations; Class C infraction; Class A infraction if bodily injury; exceptions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Indiana attorney.