Is there any circumstance at all where a driver that is driving in pitch black darkness without their lights?

Question

on can be held liable for an accident that would not be their fault normally? (Ex. The driver with lights out is driving along an unlit road, another driver pulls out without seeing the vehicle and is t-boned. Can the car without lights be held responsible at all)? This didn't happen to me, I'm just curious.

What I meant by my example was, if the car without lights on was breaking the law, would the police still say he had the right of way by being in the road already?

Alexis - http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/lightsout.asp

Answer 1

Every state in the U.S. and every foreign country requires headlight usage during hours of darkness or diminished visibility such as fog. So a person driving at night, without lights, is violating the law. If the violation contributes to or causes an accident then he will be at fault.

Answer 2

Upon investigating the example accident, the police would determine that the vehicle without lights was the cause of the accident and that driver would be responsible for all damages and injuries. The hard part is to prove that the lights were not on. The driver can claim that there were on but are broken now as a result of the collision. Having a witness would greatly help.

Answer 3

In UK it is by no means certain.
Yes the driver without lights is committing an offence and would be fined or disqualified but coming out of a road there is an argument that there is enough residual light for a careful driver to see an oncoming vehicle. A bit unfair but the argument might just succeed

Answer 4

Every mass has an effect on every other mass. Call it gravity if you want. Although this effect is minuscule in small objects, probably not even measurable outside a very expensive lab, if you put one object, say your face, next to another object, the mirror, there will be an exchange of 'forces'. Realistically, no human would feel that force, but in theory its there so if you had a super-human sensitivity, you would 'sense' it. Also there's the heat issue like someone else said. If there was a heat difference between the mirror and your hand or your face, then you might possibly pick up on that, and sense that the mirror is there.

Answer 5

I don't think there's any way that someone driving a car in the middle of the night on the road with no lights would not be committing some sort of offence. re. your example, how would you be able to stop to let a car you couldn't tell was heading in your direction pass?

Answer 6

I would have to say no, because he shouldn't have been on the road w/o lights. I now when my brother was in an accident b/c the other person hit him going down the wrong way on a one way street, the police said it was my brother's faulth b/c he shouldn't have been on the road (because he didn't have insurance) and gave the other guy a ticket.

Answer 7

Just to inform you, you need to be careful about cars not having thier lights on, dudes are using it to grab victims so, that they can join a gang.
For example, people will see that the dudes lights are off and the person will flicker their own lights so, that the dude will turn his on. The guy will do a U-turn and chase down the person who was trying to be nice and kill them just so, he can join a gang. You have to be careful esp when you are trying to be nice now in these days. I just wanted to post this so that other people will see it and be aware it. Take care and be careful. ~Alexis

Answer 8

SURE THEY WOULD BE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL DAMAGES AND OR DEATHS THAT THIS WOULD CAUSE.

JUST READ THE NEWS AND YOU WILL THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THIS AND WHAT THEY CALL THIS IS INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER OR VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER.