Pennsylvania Reckless Driving Laws: Fines, Suspension and Points

Pennsylvania makes reckless driving a summary offense under 75 Pa.C.S. 3736: driving "any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property" carries a fine of $200. The heavier consequence is the license: Section 1532(b)(1) directs PennDOT to suspend the operating privilege for six months on a reckless driving conviction, while the points schedule in Section 1535 does not list the offense at all.

Section 3736 sets no speed at which driving becomes reckless. The more serious Pennsylvania driving offenses sit in other sections: racing and drifting (Section 3367), aggravated assault by vehicle (Section 3732.1) and recklessly endangering another person (18 Pa.C.S. 2705).

Information last verified on 2026-10-21. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Pennsylvania state statutes on reckless driving (75 Pa.C.S. 3736), careless driving (3714), the speed rules in Chapter 33, racing and drifting (3367), the related license suspension and points rules in Chapter 15, and driving without a valid license. It does not cover DUI penalties (see Pennsylvania DUI laws), homicide offenses (see Pennsylvania manslaughter laws), leaving the scene of a crash (see Pennsylvania hit-and-run laws), municipal ordinances, or federal and commercial-driver rules beyond a short note. For other states, see reckless driving laws by state.

What is reckless driving in Pennsylvania?

Section 3736(a) of the Vehicle Code (Title 75) defines the offense in one sentence:

"Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving." 75 Pa.C.S. 3736(a)

The offense has two parts: driving a vehicle, and doing so with "willful or wanton disregard" for the safety of people or property. The section lists no specific acts, so the question in each case is the driver's conduct and state of mind.

Reckless driving is one of the "serious traffic offenses" in Subchapter B of Chapter 37, which Section 3101(b) applies "upon highways and trafficways throughout this Commonwealth." A trafficway is "every way or place of which any part is open to the public for purposes of vehicular travel as a matter of right or custom" (Section 102), so the offense reaches places such as parking lots open to the public. Careless driving (3714) is not in Subchapter B, and Section 3101(a) limits it to highways unless the section names another place.

Pennsylvania's Superior Court has described that mental state. In Commonwealth v. Bullick, 830 A.2d 998, 1003 (Pa. Super. 2003), the court wrote that "the mens rea necessary to support the offense of reckless driving is a requirement that Appellant drove in such a manner that there existed a substantial risk that injury would result from his driving, . . ., that he was aware of that risk and yet continued to drive in such a manner, in essence, callously disregarding the risk he was creating by his own reckless driving."

Section 3736 has stood unchanged since Act 42 of 1990 (May 30, 1990, P.L. 173, No. 42), which took effect April 1, 1992.

Is reckless driving a misdemeanor in Pennsylvania? Penalties

No. Section 3736(b) provides: "Any person who violates this section commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $200."

Three points about that sentence:

• It is a summary offense, not a misdemeanor. Section 3736(b) gives it no misdemeanor or felony grade.
• The section sets a fine and no jail term. Section 3736(b) names only the $200 fine. Section 6502(c) adds that "Title 18 (relating to crimes and offenses), insofar as it relates to fines and imprisonment for convictions of summary offenses, is not applicable to this title." (Title 18's general summary-offense provision, 18 Pa.C.S. 1105, allows imprisonment of "not more than 90 days.")
• No higher grade for a repeat or for injury. Section 3736 has no higher grade for a second offense, for injury, or for property damage. When dangerous driving injures or kills someone, other sections apply, covered below. Repeat convictions matter for the license instead: reckless driving is a Subchapter B "serious traffic offense," and under Section 1542 three convictions arising from separate acts of the offenses that section lists, which include any Subchapter B offense and racing under Section 3367, within five years make a driver a habitual offender, whose operating privilege "shall be revoked by the department for a period of five years."

Doubled fines in work zones and safety corridors

Under Section 3326(c), for listed violations "when committed in an active work zone manned by workers acting in their official capacity or on a highway safety corridor," the fine "shall be double the usual amount." The list includes Section 3736 (reckless driving), Section 3714 (careless driving), Section 3361 (driving at a safe speed) and Section 3362 (maximum speed limits). Section 3326(c.1) provides that fines are doubled "only if the active work zone or highway safety corridor where the violation occurred is posted with an official sign."

Section 3327(e) separately doubles the fine for listed violations, including Section 3714 (careless driving) and Section 3736 (reckless driving), "when committed in an emergency response area manned by emergency service responders."

When dangerous driving falls under a more serious offense

Section 3736 has no injury tier of its own. Conduct that goes further can fall under separate offenses, each with its own grade:

• Aggravated assault by vehicle. Under 75 Pa.C.S. 3732.1(a), a person "who recklessly or with gross negligence causes serious bodily injury to another person while engaged in the violation of any law of this Commonwealth or municipal ordinance applying to the operation or use of a vehicle or to the regulation of traffic," except the DUI section, commits "a felony of the third degree when the violation is the cause of the injury."
• Recklessly endangering another person. Under 18 Pa.C.S. 2705, "A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he recklessly engages in conduct which places or may place another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury." The section is not limited to vehicles.
• Fleeing or eluding police. Under 75 Pa.C.S. 3733(a.2), fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer is a misdemeanor of the second degree, and a felony of the third degree if the driver, while fleeing, commits a DUI violation, crosses a state line, or "endangers a law enforcement officer or member of the general public due to the driver engaging in a high-speed chase."

Reckless driving license suspension and points in Pennsylvania

Six-month suspension

Section 1532(b)(1) provides that "The department shall suspend the operating privilege of any driver for six months upon receiving a certified record of the driver's conviction of or an adjudication of delinquency based on any offense under" a list of sections that includes Section 3736 (reckless driving), Section 3367 (racing on highways and trafficways) and Section 3714(b) (careless driving causing death). Section 1532(b)(5) sets a three-month suspension for careless driving causing serious bodily injury under Section 3714(c).

The word is "shall," and the suspension follows from the certified record of conviction, so it applies to a first reckless driving conviction. Because Section 1532(b)(1) reaches "any offense under" Section 3367, it covers racing, drifting and the organizer offenses alike.

Other suspension rules reach the related offenses. Section 1532(a)(1) requires a one-year suspension on conviction of "Any felony in the commission of which a court determines that a vehicle was essentially involved," and Section 1532(b)(3) a 12-month suspension on a conviction for fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer (3733).

Under Section 1542, three convictions arising from separate acts within five years of the offenses it lists, which include reckless driving and the other Subchapter B serious traffic offenses and racing under Section 3367, make a driver a habitual offender. The department revokes a habitual offender's operating privilege "for a period of five years," and each additional offense within five years of a previous one adds two years (1542(d), (e)).

No points for reckless driving

The schedule of convictions and points in 75 Pa.C.S. 1535 does not list Section 3736 (reckless driving) or Section 3367 (racing). It does assign points to related offenses:

Under Section 1535(b), when a driver is convicted under Section 3361 or Section 3714 along with another offense "committed at the same time and place, no points shall be assigned for violation of section 3361 or 3714 if points are assigned for the other offense."

What points lead to

Under Section 1538(a)(1), "When any person's record for the first time shows an accumulation of six or more points, the department shall require the person to attend a driver improvement school or undergo a special examination." For later accumulations, Section 1538(b) provides for a departmental hearing whose possible results include a license suspension "not exceeding 15 days" when the record shows six or more points for a second time, and "not exceeding 30 days" for a third or later time.

Under Section 1539, a record showing 11 or more points requires a suspension of 5 days per point the first time, 10 days per point the second, 15 days per point the third, and one year after that, and "Every suspension and revocation under any provision of this subchapter shall be counted in determining whether a suspension is a second, third or subsequent suspension." Under Section 1538(e), a person who before age 18 drives 26 mph or more over the posted limit and is convicted, or who accumulates six or more points for violations committed before age 18, faces a 90-day suspension, with 120 days for each later one.

Commercial driver's licenses

Under 75 Pa.C.S. 1603, "Serious traffic violation" includes "Reckless driving" and excessive speeding as defined by federal regulation, and Section 1611(g) provides that the department "shall disqualify any person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a period of 60 days if convicted of two serious traffic violations, or 120 days if convicted of three serious traffic violations, arising from separate and distinct incidents occurring within a three-year period." The violation counts if it was committed in a commercial motor vehicle, or by a commercial license holder whose conviction "results in a revocation, cancellation or suspension" of non-commercial driving privileges, which a reckless driving conviction does under Section 1532(b)(1). Federal rule 49 C.F.R. 383.51 (Table 2) treats reckless driving, as defined by state or local law, as a serious traffic violation, with the same 60-day and 120-day periods for a second and a third conviction within three years; a conviction in a personal vehicle counts only if it results in a license suspension, revocation or cancellation; on national park roads, 36 C.F.R. 4.2 adopts state traffic law, and the reckless driving laws by state hub covers the federal layer.

How fast is reckless driving in Pennsylvania?

Section 3736 names no speed, and the speed sections of Chapter 33 (Sections 3361 and 3362) do not turn any speed into reckless driving. Speed is governed instead by these rules:

• Safe speed. Section 3361 provides that "No person shall drive a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing, nor at a speed greater than will permit the driver to bring his vehicle to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead."
• Speeding fines. Under Section 3362(c), speeding is a summary offense with a fine of "$42.50 for violating a maximum speed limit of 65 miles per hour or higher" or "$35 for violating any other maximum speed limit," and a driver "exceeding the maximum speed limit by more than five miles per hour shall pay an additional fine of $2 per mile for each mile in excess of five miles per hour over the maximum speed limit."
• 31 mph or more over. Under Section 1538(d)(1), "When any person is convicted of driving 31 miles per hour or more in excess of the speed limit, the department shall require the person to attend a departmental hearing and attend a driver improvement school," and the possible results include a license suspension "for a period not exceeding 15 days."
• Work zones. Under Section 1535(e), the department "shall suspend for 15 days the operating privileges of any person who for a violation in an active work zone is convicted under" Section 3361 where the department has received an accident report, or Section 3362 "by exceeding the posted speed limit by 11 miles per hour or more."

The absence of a statutory threshold does not take speed out of the reckless driving question. In Commonwealth v. Bullick, the Superior Court said there is "a speed at which when one drives he has increased the degree of risk of an accident occurring to such a level that the willful and wantonness requirement of reckless driving will be satisfied."

Careless driving in Pennsylvania

Careless driving is the lower-tier offense. Section 3714(a) provides that "Any person who drives a vehicle in careless disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of careless driving, a summary offense."

The difference from reckless driving is the mental state: "careless disregard" in Section 3714 against "willful or wanton disregard" in Section 3736.

• Basic offense. Section 3714(a) sets no fine of its own. Section 6502(a) provides that a person convicted of a summary offense under Title 75 "for which another penalty is not provided shall be sentenced to pay a fine of $25." Careless driving carries three points under Section 1535.
• Serious bodily injury. If the driver "unintentionally causes the serious bodily injury of another person as a result of the violation," the fine is $250 (3714(c)), and Section 1532(b)(5) requires a three-month suspension.
• Death. If the driver "unintentionally causes the death of another person as a result of the violation," the fine is $500 (3714(b)), and Section 1532(b)(1) requires a six-month suspension.

Section 3714 was last amended by Act 81 of 2010 (October 19, 2010, P.L. 557, No. 81), known as the Sgt. Michael C. Weigand Law.

Chapter 37's Subchapter A and the speed subchapter of Chapter 33 contain no separate aggressive driving offense; Sections 3736, 3714, 3361 and 3367 are the provisions that govern that conduct.

Street racing and drifting in Pennsylvania

Section 3367(b) provides that "No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway or trafficway in any race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of physical endurance, exhibition of speed or acceleration, or for the purpose of making a speed record, and no person shall in any manner participate in any such race, competition, contest, test or exhibition." Section 3367(b.1) adds: "No person shall engage in the drifting of a vehicle on a highway or trafficway."

The penalties in Section 3367(d):

• First racing offense: a summary offense with a fine of $500 (3367(d)(1)).
• Second or later racing offense: a summary offense with "a fine of not more than $2,000 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both," and the vehicle or combination used "shall be subject to an impoundment order for up to six months" (3367(d)(2)).
• Drifting: a summary offense with a fine of $250 (3367(d)(3)).
• Organizers and financiers: a person "that knowingly organizes, controls or finances two or more persons in a course of conduct that violates" the racing or drifting subsections commits a summary offense with a fine of "$1,000 per vehicle engaged in the conduct" (3367(d)(4)).
• Organizers when someone is hurt or killed: the same organizing conduct "that results in the serious bodily injury or death of an individual" is "a felony of the third degree" (3367(d)(5)). Under 18 Pa.C.S. 1103(3), a third-degree felony carries imprisonment of "not more than seven years."

Section 1532(b)(1) requires a six-month suspension on conviction of "any offense under" Section 3367, which covers racing, drifting and the organizer offenses, and racing does not appear in the Section 1535 points schedule. An organizer felony under Section 3367(d)(5) can also bring the one-year suspension in Section 1532(a)(1) where a court determines a vehicle was essentially involved.

Is there a wet reckless in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's reckless driving section contains no provision on an alcohol-related reckless plea, and no section of the DUI chapter (Chapter 38) refers to it; the sections that refer to Section 3736 are Sections 1532, 3326 and 3327. The DUI chapter's definition of "prior offense" in 75 Pa.C.S. 3806(a) lists convictions for "an offense under section 3802," "an offense under former section 3731," "an offense substantially similar to an offense under paragraph (1) or (2) in another jurisdiction," or any combination of them. Reckless driving under Section 3736 is not on that list, and Section 3736 says nothing about alcohol.

For DUI penalties themselves, see Pennsylvania DUI laws.

Driving without a license in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania separates driving with no valid license from driving while the operating privilege is suspended or revoked.

No license (1501). Under Section 1501(d), a person violating the license requirement "is guilty of a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $200, except that, if the person charged furnishes satisfactory proof of having held a driver's license valid on the last day of the preceding driver's license period and no more than one year has elapsed from the last date for renewal, the fine shall be $25."

The same subsection provides that no person charged "shall be convicted if the person produces at the office of the issuing authority within 15 days of the violation: (1) a driver's license valid in this Commonwealth at the time of the violation; or (2) if the driver's license is lost, stolen, destroyed or illegible, evidence that the driver was licensed at the time of the violation." Section 1511(b) has a parallel rule for producing a license valid at the time of an officer's demand or of the citation, within 15 days.

A second conviction under Section 1501(a) within five years of the prior offense also brings a six-month suspension (1532(b)(2)).

Repeat unlicensed driving. Under Section 6503(b), a person convicted of a second or later violation of Section 1501(a) "within seven years of the date of commission of the offense preceding the offense for which sentence is to be imposed shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $200 nor more than $1,000 or to imprisonment for not more than six months, or both."

Suspended or revoked (1543). Except as subsection (b) provides, a person who drives "after the commencement of a suspension, revocation or cancellation of the operating privilege and before the operating privilege has been restored is guilty of a summary offense and shall, upon conviction or adjudication of delinquency, be sentenced to pay a fine of $200" (1543(a)). Except as Section 1543.1 provides, Section 1543(c) directs the department, where the driver was under suspension on the date of violation and had not been restored, to suspend the operating privilege "for an additional one-year period" (an "additional 30-day period" where the suspension was an indefinite one for not completing driver improvement school), and, where the privilege was revoked, to revoke it "for an additional two-year period." Under Section 1543.1, added by Act 138 of 2024, driving while suspended only for repeat unlicensed driving (1532(b)(2)) or for failing to respond to a citation (1533), where the underlying offense was driving without a license, carries a $50 fine for a first offense.

Section 1543(b) sets higher penalties when the suspension or revocation is DUI-related (ARD for DUI, a DUI or chemical-test-refusal suspension, or a Driver's License Compact suspension for a substantially similar offense): a first conviction is a summary offense with a $500 fine and 60 days' imprisonment, a second a $1,000 fine and 90 days, and a third or later a misdemeanor of the third degree with a $2,500 fine and at least six months. If the driver also has a blood alcohol content of .02% or more, a Schedule I or nonprescribed Schedule II or III controlled substance or its metabolite, or refuses testing, Section 1543(b)(1.1) sets a $1,000 fine and 90 days for a first offense, a misdemeanor of the third degree with a $2,500 fine and at least six months for a second, and a misdemeanor of the first degree with a $5,000 fine and at least two years for a third or later. Act 58 of 2025 (December 22, 2025, effective immediately) amended Sections 1543(b)(1)(i), (ii) and (1.1)(i).

Under Section 6503(a), a second or later violation of Section 1543(a) is punishable by "a fine of not less than $200 nor more than $1,000 or to imprisonment for not more than six months, or both," and under Section 6503(a.1) a person convicted of a sixth or later offense "shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $1,000 and to imprisonment for not less than 30 days but not more than six months."

Pennsylvania reckless driving and related offenses: penalty table

The imprisonment maximums for graded crimes come from Title 18: a felony of the third degree "not more than seven years" (18 Pa.C.S. 1103(3)) and a misdemeanor of the second degree two years (18 Pa.C.S. 1104(2)). The fine maximums come from 18 Pa.C.S. 1101: $15,000 for a felony of the third degree (1101(3)) and $5,000 for a misdemeanor of the second degree (1101(5)). Summary offenses under the Vehicle Code take their penalties from the Vehicle Code section itself or from Section 6502. For the full grading table, see Pennsylvania felony and misdemeanor classes.

Vehicular homicide in Pennsylvania

When driving causes a death, the governing offense beyond careless driving is homicide by vehicle under 75 Pa.C.S. 3732, covered on the Pennsylvania manslaughter laws page.

Recent changes to Pennsylvania reckless driving and racing laws

• 2024: racing, drifting and organizers. Act 103 of 2024 (October 16, 2024, P.L. 992, No. 103), which took effect 11 months after its approval, rewrote Section 3367: it raised the first-offense racing fine from $200 to $500, added the drifting ban, the organizer offenses and the impoundment rule for repeat racing, and moved the repeat-racing penalty from Section 6503(a) into Section 3367(d)(2). It also amended Sections 1532(b)(1), 1542(b)(2) and 1553(d)(11) to refer to "racing on highways and trafficways"; racing was already on the six-month suspension list in Section 1532(b)(1).
• 2024: homicide and aggravated assault by vehicle. Act 18 of 2024 (June 5, 2024, P.L. 366, No. 18), known as Paul Miller's Law, amended Sections 3732 and 3732.1.
• 2024 and 2025: driving while suspended. Act 138 of 2024 (October 31, 2024, P.L. 1143, No. 138), effective 18 months after enactment, added Section 1543.1 and amended Section 1543(c); Act 58 of 2025 (December 22, 2025, effective immediately) amended the DUI-related penalties in Section 1543(b).
• Reckless and careless driving themselves. Section 3736 has not been amended since Act 42 of 1990, and Section 3714 since Act 81 of 2010.

Related Pennsylvania laws

• Reckless driving laws by state
• Pennsylvania DUI laws
• Pennsylvania manslaughter laws
• Pennsylvania felony and misdemeanor classes
• Pennsylvania hit-and-run laws
• Pennsylvania expungement laws

This article is general legal information about Pennsylvania law, not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Pennsylvania, or PennDOT for driver's license and points questions.

Last updated: 2026-10-21.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is reckless driving a misdemeanor in Pennsylvania?

No. Under 75 Pa.C.S. 3736(b), reckless driving is a summary offense, and the section sets the sentence as a fine of $200. A conviction also brings a six-month license suspension under Section 1532(b)(1).

Can you go to jail for reckless driving in Pennsylvania?

Section 3736(b) sets the sentence as a $200 fine and names no jail term. Section 6502(c) provides that Title 18's rules on fines and imprisonment for summary offenses do not apply to the Vehicle Code.

Does reckless driving suspend your license in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Section 1532(b)(1) provides that the department shall suspend the operating privilege for six months on receiving a certified record of a conviction under Section 3736.

How many points is reckless driving in Pennsylvania?

The points schedule in 75 Pa.C.S. 1535 does not list reckless driving (3736) or racing (3367), so those convictions are handled through the six-month suspension instead. Careless driving carries three points.

How fast is reckless driving in Pennsylvania?

Section 3736 names no speed, though the Superior Court has said a high enough speed can meet the willful or wanton standard (Commonwealth v. Bullick). Speeding is a separate summary offense under Section 3362 with a base fine of $35 or $42.50 plus $2 per mile over five mph, and driving 31 mph or more over the limit leads to a departmental hearing and driver improvement school under Section 1538(d).

What is the difference between careless and reckless driving in Pennsylvania?

Careless driving (3714) is driving in 'careless disregard' for safety; reckless driving (3736) requires 'willful or wanton disregard.' Careless driving carries three points and no Section 1532 suspension unless it causes death or serious bodily injury, while reckless driving carries a $200 fine and a six-month suspension.

Does Pennsylvania have a wet reckless?

Section 3736 contains no alcohol-related reckless provision, and no section of the DUI chapter refers to it. The DUI 'prior offense' definition in 75 Pa.C.S. 3806(a) lists Section 3802, former Section 3731 and substantially similar offenses, not reckless driving.

Is street racing or drifting illegal in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Section 3367 bars racing, speed contests, exhibitions of speed and drifting on highways and trafficways. A first racing offense is a $500 summary offense and drifting carries a $250 fine; any conviction under Section 3367 brings a six-month suspension, and an organizer whose event results in serious bodily injury or death commits a third-degree felony.

What is the penalty for driving without a license in Pennsylvania?

A violation of 75 Pa.C.S. 1501(a) is a summary offense with a $200 fine ($25 if the license expired within the past year). A second or later violation within seven years carries $200 to $1,000, up to six months, or both (6503(b)), and a second conviction within five years of the prior offense brings a six-month suspension (1532(b)(2)).