The Most Common Traffic Law Violations in Florida
Motorists who sustain injuries in car accidents resulting from another person’s negligence are often able to recoup their accident-related losses by filing a claim against the at-fault party. In many cases, these accidents involve the violation of a traffic regulation, proof of which can be instrumental in demonstrating negligence. For an assessment of your own case and assistance filing a claim against the motorist who caused your own accident, please contact one of our dedicated Fort Lauderdale auto accident attorneys today.
Moving Violations
Most car accidents can be linked to some form of moving violation, such as:
- Speeding, which accounted for 35 percent of all moving violations in 2018;
- Committing a red light camera violation, which occurs when a driver runs a red light and is recorded doing so by intersection cameras, or when a motorist runs a red light in the presence of a police officer;
- Running a stop sign;
- Careless driving, which involves a violation of the legal obligation to drive in a careful manner, especially in regards to the grade, width, and corners of the roadway, as well as general traffic conditions;
- Disobeying a traffic control device, such as making an illegal U-turn, ignoring speed limit signs, and failing to comply with railroad crossing signals;
- Failing to yield to pedestrians or to properly yield at intersections; and
- Making improper lane changes.
Being able to prove that a driver engaged in this type of unlawful conduct can go a long way towards establishing that his or her negligence caused the accident that resulted in the victim’s injury.
Criminal Traffic Violations
Criminal traffic law violations are more serious than standard traffic violations, as they can result in jail time and hefty fines. For instance, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is considered serious enough to warrant being considered not only a moving violation, but also a crime. In the event that a person is convicted of a DUI, he or she has committed negligence per se, which means that the injured party won’t be required to provide other evidence of negligence in order to recover damages. Instead, negligence is assumed because of the nature of the defendant’s conduct.
Other traffic law violations that could result in a negligence per se claim include wrong way driving, drag racing, fleeing law enforcement in a vehicle, and committing a stop light violation. However, even when a traffic offense, such as reckless driving or leaving the scene of an accident, does not qualify as a negligence per se offense it can still provide valuable evidence when attempting to establish negligence in a personal injury case. Evidence of such traffic violations includes footage from video recordings and eyewitness statements. For help collecting this type of evidence for your own case, please contact our legal team today.
Contact Our Fort Lauderdale Legal Team Today
To speak with one of the experienced car accident attorneys at Boone & Davis about your own collision and whether you qualify for damages, please call 954-566-9919 or complete one of our brief online contact forms at your earliest convenience.
Resource:
flhsmv.gov/resources/crash-citation-reports/
https://www.booneanddavislaw.com/collisions-with-wild-animals/
