ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Central Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve was asked, “What happens if someone is riding on top of a vehicle? Is the driver charged with reckless driving or what is the outcome?”
He said this question reminded him of the incident at Lake Mary High School when students were joyriding in a private parking lot with a student riding on top of the car and it crashed.
“This situation, although frustrating, would be a criminal traffic violation of reckless driving. Now, I was not on scene so I am sure there are other details I am not aware of but when it comes to intention, that’s how we determine whether we are charging with traffic laws or criminal laws,” he said.
Trooper Steve said a lot has to do with the intent of the driver and why the situation occurred.
“An example would be if two individuals got into an argument, and one happened to be walking down the sidewalk and the other party involved intentionally struck them with their vehicle. This would be attempted murder,” Trooper Steve said.
If you have a traffic question for Trooper Steve, email him at asktroopersteve@wkmg.com.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: