10-Year-Old Girl Charged with Careless Driving: She Doesn’t Even Have a License

A 10-year-old faces Careless Driving charges for crashing into a DMV. Read more in our blog.

A 10-year-old girl has been charged with Careless Driving – C.R.S. 42-4-1402 in Colorado. According to news sources, the girl’s mother left her in the car for a moment while she stepped into a DMV office. The mother parked the SUV and left the girl with her 12-year-old sister in the car with the engine off and the keys in the ignition. After a few minutes, the young girl moved to the driver’s seat and started the car. She put it into gear, and it rolled slowly into the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles office – crashing through the glass wall. The car eventually came to a stop after the mother was able to open the door and stop the car before it caused more damage. Thankfully, no one was injured. This is a classic case of a curious child experimenting with the rules and doing something childish and foolish. Yet, she has been charged with Careless Driving. Our lawmakers in Logan, Weld, and Morgan County are applying laws unjustly in many areas. This 10-year-old has no driver’s license, but she has been charged with a criminal offense.

What is Careless Driving in Greeley and Weld County?

Careless Driving is charged whenever a person drives a “motor vehicle, bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, or low-power scooter in a careless and imprudent manner, without due regard for the width, grade, curves, corners, traffic, and use of the streets and highways and all other attendant circumstances.” This offense is usually a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense. People are often charged with this offense while driving in Colorado – yet, they have licenses and the responsibility which comes with this privilege – unlike the little girl, who acted simply out of thoughtlessness.

Childhood Foolishness Does Not Equal Criminal Actions

This little girl is not a criminal. She acted out childish foolishness and curiosity, and should not be treated as an adult. Unfortunately, our lawmakers in Greeley, Evans, and Erie don’t always use common sense when making and enforcing laws. In the past, this incident would have ended with the girl’s parents paying for the damage to the office, and deciding on the punishment and consequences for their own daughter. Consider the mother’s responsibility for leaving her keys in the car. Unfortunately, our government has pushed its way into the private aspects of our lives.

Why You Need an Experienced Traffic Crimes Lawyer

Our government is not always logical. They charged a 10-year-old with a misdemeanor in response to childish actions. Don’t put your future in their hands. If you have been charged with a traffic offense, work with an experienced lawyer to fight for your future and rights.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a traffic crime such as Careless Driving, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009, or submit the “Get Help Now” form. Together, we can protect your future.

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