Free Consultation: 800-937-8443

Free Consultation: 800-937-8443

According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, around 10,000 people die each year in a failure to yield accident. Every state has a law requiring each driver to give others on the road the right-of-way as laid out in the vehicle code.

Failure to do so results in a vehicle code violation and puts the driver and occupants of both cars at risk. In Kentucky, there are around 300 failure to yield deaths each year on the state’s roads and highways.

In a recent example, an SUV turned left into the path of a motorcycle in Louisville at the intersection of New Cut Road and Wilderness Road. The accident happened around 8:30 p.m., Monday, October 14, 2019. Police at the scene said that the SUV failed to yield to the right-of-way of the motorcycle, and the rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

Types of Failure to Yield Accidents

In one sense, most accidents happen because one car violates the right-of-way of another car, but there are certain types of right-of-way accidents that can be attributed to violating another driver’s right-of-way established in Kentucky vehicle code. Some of these are:

  • Left turn in intersection
  • Red light at an intersection
  • Stop signs
  • Four-way stops
  • Lane merge
  • Right turns against red light (free right)
  • Pedestrians/cyclist in crosswalk or at intersection
  • School zone crosswalks
  • Freeway lane changes

Left Turn in Intersection

According to the NHTSA, the number one failure to yield to the right of way is when a motorist turns left in an intersection when the oncoming car has the right-of-way, usually with a green light. The NTHSA reports that 22 percent of all traffic fatalities come from the left turn failure to yield accident.

This underscores how dangerous this type of accident is. Usually the car coming through the light is going at the speed limit or higher relying on their right-of-way when the other car turns in its path.

Causes of Failure to Yield Crashes

The greatest single reason someone fails to yield to another’s right-of-way is inattention. This includes distracted driving, but distracted driving doesn’t make up all of inattentive driving. Other ways can be simply thinking about something else and not paying attention to the traffic, roads and signals.

Talking to another person, using the cell phone, eating, changing radio station or music playlist can all be reasons why someone fails to yield to another’s right-of-way.

Contact a Louisville Personal Injury Attorney

Accident victims often wonder if they need an attorney, and the answer is almost always yes. The insurance company agents have years of experience and are good at their job which is to pay you as little as possible or nothing at all. You need someone just as experienced to help you level the field. Talk to someone you can trust to be on your side and get you what is yours under the law.

The attorneys at Kaufman &  Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the results they deserve. To discuss your case, call Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, at (800) 937-8443 or click here to contact them online.

 

 

 

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn