Auto Accident Liability

Car accidents are a common occurrence in our day-to-day lives. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in an accident, it can be important to determine if you are to blame, if you are "liable", because it can affect insurance and legal matters.

Auto accident liability is the laying of blame of who is responsible for an accident. In most cases this will be a clear cut answer. One of the two parties involved in the accident will be liable. Each situation is different, of course, so there are some times when liabilities are shared, say if both parties are equally negligent.

What can make me liable?
It is impossible to generalize completely about auto accident liabilty because each case is so different, but there are some common instances that make you easily to blame. Let us have a look at few.

If you are drunk, abusing narcotic substances or even have a bad hangover that will register on a breathalyzer, then there is a high chance that you are going to be held liable for any accident caused. Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol is the most common cause of auto accidents.

If the reason an accident happens is that you are acting negligently in some way then you have a high chance of being blamed. Negligence can be something like ignoring traffic signs, cutting into someone's lane, not giving priority to pedestrians or not paying attention to your driving or surroundings.

The other big reason you could be held responsible for an accident is if you are speeding. Speeding reduces the safety of driving, reducing your reflexive reaction time and making it much harder to stop or control your car. If you are speeding when you are involved in an accident, you have a high chance of being held liable.