Failure To Signal Can Result In A Car Accident
The failure to signal is a common cause of car accidents in California. Under the California Vehicle Code a driver must signal their intent to make a turn continuously for the last 100 feet remaining before the turn. That means that if you are approaching an intersection with a stop sign and intend to make a right turn, you must continuously signal your intent to make the right turn for the last 100 feet before the stop sign. If you fail to signal your intent to make the turn which results in a car accident, it may be concluded that you were negligent in the operation of your vehicle and therefore liable to injured parties.
Example: Failure To Signal Causes A Car Accident & The Driver Is Liable For Negligence
Assume that a driver is on the I-80 towards Reno on a section where 2 lanes are moving in the same direction. The driver is in the left hand lane moving at the speed limit. He is so focused on finding a certain exit on the freeway that he is not paying much attention to the cars around him. As he approaches an exit he thinks might be the one he wants he slows his car down 10 miles per hour. In slowing his car down a hatchback in the right lane moving at the speed limit approaches his car. As the driver of the car nears the exit he realizes that this is the exit he wants and without signaling abruptly turns into the right lane so as to not miss the exit. What the driver did not realize is that the hatchback moving at the speed limit had approached the car such that several feet of both cars were parallel to each other. As the driver abruptly turns without signaling he collides with the hatchback creating a car accident on the I-80. The driver of the hatchback is injured and subsequently sues the driver for negligence. In this case, the driver of the car was negligent since he failed to signal his intent to move into the right hand lane causing personal injury to the driver of the hatchback. His failure to signal as required by the California Vehicle Code can be used against him to show that he was negligent in the operation of his motor vehicle.