The Liabilities of Driving an Unsafe Car

Car accidents happen every day.  And the causes of the accident vary.  Those not paying attention to the road cause accidents.  We all have seen the driver who is texting on their cell phone and not staying in their own lane.  Texting is far worse to do while driving that talking on a cell phone.  These people are an accident waiting to happen.  Slippery road surfaces, whether snow, ice or water, cause accidents.  Adding speed to poor road conditions only adds to the likelihood of an accident.  Poorly maintained cars are another cause of accidents.  Did you know you can be liable if you aren’t maintaining your car and you cause an accident?

With the high cost of owning and operating a car, many people may put off car repairs.  It’s easy to think you can make it a bit longer to repair that crack in the windshield or get that brake job.  And you have one working headlight, you can wait until next payday to fix the other.  Maybe that tire that is bald can wait a few more months until you need new snow tires anyway. Small things such as turn signals that don’t work or a speedometer that malfunctions can be the cause of an accident.  I’ve even seen people driving in the rain without properly working windshield wipers!

Let’s say that you are driving and it’s snowing a bit.  Knowing that you need extra stopping room between you and the car ahead of you, you keep back further than normal.  That’s a good thing.  However, you didn’t ever get around to replacing those bald tires and as you try and stop in time, you can’t.  You slam into the car in front of you causing a back injury to the driver.  You may think that all will be forgiven because of the road conditions, but chances are, you will also be responsible for not maintaining a safe car to drive.

It is a big responsibility to drive a car and many times we don’t give the condition of our cars a second thought. We forget how dangerous a poorly maintained car can be.  Every time you get behind the wheel you should be 100% certain that your car is road ready.  No one ever plans to be in an accident.  There is no excuse for allowing your car to be on the road when it’s unsafe. You may not think about it, but the attorney for the person injured because of your lack of concern won’t.