The difference between reckless driving and speeding in Rhode Island is the difference between a criminal charge and a civil ticket. Speeding is a civil moving violation handled at the Traffic Tribunal, where the worst outcome is a fine, points, and higher insurance, with no criminal record. Reckless driving is a criminal charge for driving in a way that endangers others, and a conviction can mean a record, jail exposure, and a license suspension. Speed can be part of a reckless driving case, but the charge is about dangerous operation as a whole, not just exceeding the limit. This is why a very high speed, or speeding combined with weaving, racing, or near-misses, can be charged as reckless rather than as a simple speeding violation.
