Reduced charge
Wet reckless: can your DUI charge be reduced?
You were charged with DUI and want to know if it can be cut down to a wet reckless. Your license case moves before your court date, and the hearing request deadline is counted in days.
Answered 24/7: a free review of whether your stop or test leaves room to ask for a reduction.
Which states
California is the best-known state for it, with the rule in Vehicle Code 23103.5. Other states allow similar pleas under other names. Ask a lawyer in your state whether the option exists there.
What it means for your record
It is still a conviction. It shows that alcohol was involved. In California a later DUI can count it as a prior. It can sometimes be dismissed later like other misdemeanors once probation ends (California Courts).
When it's offered
Cornell's legal dictionary says wet reckless pleas come up in cases with little evidence or low alcohol content (LII). The prosecutor decides whether to offer one. If your lawyer finds a weak point in the stop or the test, there is more room to ask.
Whether a reduced charge is on the table depends on your facts and your county. Call and a DUI defense lawyer for your state tells you whether to ask.
Questions people ask
What is a wet reckless?
An informal name for a plea deal: a DUI charge is reduced to reckless driving with alcohol involved. It is offered by the prosecutor, not chosen by you.
Is reckless driving better than a DUI?
Usually the penalties are lighter. But a wet reckless can still count as a prior if you are arrested for DUI again in some states, including California.
When is a wet reckless offered?
Most often when the evidence is thin or the BAC was close to the limit. Cornell's legal dictionary notes it is common in cases with little evidence or low alcohol content.
Does a wet reckless go on your record?
Yes. It is a conviction for reckless driving, with a note that alcohol was involved.
Read next: Your first DUI · Clearing a DUI · What a DUI lawyer costs
What to do now
You are facing a DUI and hoping for a wet reckless instead. Even a wet reckless is still a conviction, and your license hearing deadline will not wait for court. Call now, and your lawyer files the license hearing request before the deadline and asks for the police records.
Ask about a reduction (877) 317-9931
Answered 24/7: a free review of whether your stop or test leaves room to ask for a reduction.
Send your case details
Send your state, county, arrest date, BAC result and the deadline on your license notice. With those facts in hand, the review can start on whether a wet reckless is worth asking for.