What is the term for legal liabilities arising from reckless actions?

The term for legal liabilities arising from reckless actions is recklessness. Recklessness involves acting with a disregard for the safety of others, consciously choosing to take risks that could cause harm or injury. In legal contexts, liability for recklessness typically arises when an individual engages in behavior that they know is unsafe or dangerous, yet they proceed anyway, leading to potential harm.

Recklessness is distinct from negligence, which generally involves a failure to exercise reasonable care that results in harm, without the conscious disregard for safety present in reckless behavior. Unlike an intentional tort, which involves deliberate actions that are meant to cause harm, recklessness does not require intent to cause injury but rather a blatant disregard for the potential consequences of one's actions. Similarly, malicious torts are characterized by ill will or intent to harm, which also sets them apart from the general concept of recklessness. Thus, recognizing recklessness as the term for legal liabilities from reckless actions clarifies its role in personal injury and tort law.