Who’s at fault – rear-end collision
“I braked suddenly because a cat ran into the road and the car behind me rear-ended my car. Who’s at fault in this rear-end collision?”
In nearly all cases, rear-end collisions are the fault of the driver of the vehicle in the back. The legal term “duty of care” applies when determining negligence by motor vehicle drivers, who are expected to exercise the duty of car when on the road. Examples of this are driving at a reasonable speed, adjusting speed for adverse road conditions, using the proper turn signals, and following at a safe distance. The general rule of thumb is to allow at least one car’s length per 10 mph traveling speed between you and the next car in front of you. So, if you are driving at 50 mph, you will want 5 car lengths between you. This will allow you more reaction time in case the car in front of you stops suddenly, as is the case in our example.
Often, people believe that if a person stops suddenly and is rear-ended, it is the fault of the driver of the first car. But, the above rule of driving at a reasonable speed and distance behind other drivers applies.
**Every accident is different, so claims adjusters take every detail into consideration when determining liability in an accident.**