I was the last car in a four car pie-up. The accident was caused by the first car making a sudden left turn onto the street we were traveling on. (Or so I was told by the other drivers. I did not see what was going on, and at first thought that the accident was solely between my car and the car in front of me.) The officer on the scene gave me the only ticket (I'm assuming that it was because I was the tail vehicle), and said to me,"Somebody's got to get the ticket!" The ticket was for Careless Driving, which I don't think was at all the case. When the SUV in front of me rammed into the previous two cars, it came to a very sudden stop and I hit the brakes immediately, but there was not much room to stop in time. I don't see how I should be ticketed, I was not following too closely for normal braking conditions. I will be going to court to fight this next month. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this in court?
2007-02-19 18:17:40 · 11 answers · asked by skowog 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
If the state you live in, that this accident occurred in, has the law of rear-end accidents-automatic fault to the driver doing the rear-ending. Please, do go into court, and nicely, respectfully, explain to the judge what happened from your perspective, and include what the other parties had told you had happened. Usually the judge listens to each situation, and then decides based on that. They also can, and often do, lower the cost of the ticket given. Considering what happened, and the circumstances, and the law, hopefully the judge will remove the ticket from your driving record. Plus, does your state also have the automatic fault on left turns if/when an accident occurs? That is the driver who needs to get the ticket-no one else. I wish you the best. Take care.
2007-02-19 18:30:49 · answer #1 · answered by SAK 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you were unable to stop in time then you were driving in a careless manner.
The fact of the matter is that you are responsible for maintaining a safe following distance. This means that you must be far enough behind the car in front of you to safely stop in an emergency.
If you try to fight this - expect the judge to point out to you that you are at fault.
2007-02-20 03:23:02 · answer #2 · answered by MikeGolf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Explain your situation to the judge and hope that he/she is an understanding person. In my opinion, in normal driving conditions, you are at fault a certain percentage but you should not be 100% at fault. Insurance companies rate accidents by percentage at fault and are usually pretty fair about it. Contact your insurance company before you go to court and speak with a representative. They will know what to do and they know about all of the state laws. Good Luck with the judge.
2007-02-19 18:58:18 · answer #3 · answered by J G 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You were following to closely. Not that it would not happen to others but if for any reason you hit someone in the back (other than them backing into you) you were to close to react or stop.
You did hit a vehicle that stopped suddenly, that means you were following too closely.
Plead your case, admit your side of it and pay the fine.....
2007-02-20 04:33:34 · answer #4 · answered by k9mpgsd 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When I was little we had one of those totally 70's vans with carpet and drapes... We used to take road trips and I remember my dad asking me to bring him up beers from the back cooler as he was driving, with little kids in the car and staying up for over 48 hours on end to get where we were going on time! Nice! Really nice!
2016-05-23 21:57:42 · answer #5 · answered by Lydia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first I would contact your insurance Company and have them fight it for you. I would have them investigate why the other driver (s) did not get a ticket, and how is it that you are the only one getting in trouble for the pile up. I would get in contact with the other drivers as your witness to what actually happened and get that information to your Insurance company.
2007-02-19 18:30:00 · answer #6 · answered by Kaelani 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were tailgating. You could have been nailed for wreckless driving. Cut your losses and learn from this. Oh, and your insurance rates are going to go up. WAY up. Better get another job!
2007-02-19 18:22:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
next time you be the one to bash the car and not a scape goat of the tail car
2007-02-19 18:24:21 · answer #8 · answered by george grohan mendal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its called tailgating,serves you right,pay the fine and leave more room next time.
2007-02-19 18:33:33 · answer #9 · answered by frank m 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I dont' know where you idiots are from, but your guilty, dont' follow people so closely so you have enough time to react.
2007-02-19 18:24:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋