- Car Accidents
We’ve all experienced the sensation that someone was just driving slow on purpose. Sometimes it may be in retaliation for a traffic maneuver, and other times maybe it’s that they’re too scared or skittish behind the wheel. The truth is that slow drivers are just as dangerous as other insecure drivers. Hesitation and driving too slow cause plenty of accidents and injuries.
If you’ve been injured because of someone driving too slowly, it’s a good idea to contact an experienced car wreck attorney in Fayetteville, GA.
What Type of Accident is It?
The type of accident is a huge deal when it comes to liability. For example, a rear-end collision will almost always put the rear driver at fault, whereas a head-on collision will almost always put the wrong-way driver at fault. These are guides, but clearly, there are always exceptions to these situations.
If you were hit from behind, then, a person traveling too slow should not have been the problem. In fact, their speed may not even be a factor to consider.
If you were hit along the side, then there is likely another element involved in this accident. It’s possible that they were distracted or not confident in making their maneuvers. These situations are often seen at low speed when the “too slow” driver is either getting onto a freeway, merging lanes, or even pulling out of a parking lot.
Those who were hit in the front or had a front collision may have bigger problems. Proving that you were behind someone but also weren’t at-fault is becoming very difficult. Many of these cases will have attorneys avoiding the courtroom at all because of the concern that they may find their client at-fault for the crash.
Simple Methods to Prove Fault
The best way to prove the fault is to show that the other driver was breaking traffic laws or committing a traffic violation. While it is not always a slam dunk, it is a pivotal position that Georgia car accident attorneys consider when building a case.
Showing that someone failed to move over in a timely manner because they were driving too slowly could be difficult. But, it could also show that they failed to provide a duty of care, put others at risk, and violated the slowpoke law.
Other methods to prove the fault is to show that the other driver is intoxicated, incompetent, or even reckless. Someone traveling at 23 miles per hour on a 70 mile per hour freeway zone is clearly incompetent. However, that slow speed could be an indication of intoxication. In fact, people who see excessively slow drivers are encouraged to contact police as if they were driving at excessively high speeds.
The “Slowpoke Law” – Driving too Slow in the Fast Lane
The Slowpoke law is a law that covers traveling specifically in the left lane at the speed limit or below the limit. That doesn’t mean that it applies to every situation or that the upcoming driver doesn’t have a responsibility to slow down.
This law doesn’t excuse you from hitting someone from behind it, especially if you’re moving at high speeds. However, Georgia State Police and many city police departments have amped up the citations for traveling below the speed limit in the fast lane. They have also begun writing more citationss for those not matching speeds to merge, traveling too slow in high-speed areas and similar speed infractions.
Call Wade Law if Someone Was Driving too Slow and Caused an Accident
Ask your Fayetteville car accident lawyer about how you can approach your crash. If the wreck involved your car colliding with someone in front of you, then you do need guidance. An attorney should go over popular laws such as the slowpoke law and explain how that can help your case.
If you have any questions about the slowpoke law or how it may apply to your situation, you should take those to an attorney. Going through your insurance policy will not do well if someone ahead of your caused the crash.
Any accident victim in Fayetteville, GA needs an auto wreck attorney. With the right legal guidance, you can set yourself apart from the other victims who spend years trying to sort out a car accident. Just because someone was driving too slow shouldn’t make insurance and crash resolution a hassle for the months to come.
Contact our car wreck law firm in Fayetteville, GA to set up a meet-up and talk directly with one of our attorneys that knows Georgia traffic law inside and out.
View these other frequently asked questions pages:
Can Your Georgia Car Accident Lawyer Prove the Other Driver Was Speeding?
Can Insurance Companies Follow Me Around After a Car Accident in Georgia?