Defenses That You Can Use Against Someone Complaining About Your Quiet Electric Car
Posted on: 27 August 2019
In addition to being an environmentally responsible way to get around, electric cars have several features that are different from conventional vehicles. One big thing that you'll notice is how quiet electric cars are. When one passes you on the road, the only sound that you'll hear is the noise from the tires rolling across the asphalt. Being in an accident with your electric car is frustrating given the price of these vehicles, but your frustration can turn into a downright annoyance when the other party takes legal action against you — especially if you feel as though you didn't do anything wrong. The other party may argue that he or she didn't hear you coming because your car was so quiet. Here are some defenses that you can make to this dubious claim.
You Had Your Lights On
There's nothing illegal about driving a quiet vehicle, but it never hurts to be ready to refute the other party's complaint with some facts about you and your vehicle in the moments before the incident. For example, if the other person states that he or she didn't hear your car, thus suggesting that you silently approaching the scene was somehow improper, you can state that you had your vehicle's headlights on. This means that even if the person didn't hear you, he or she will have had no trouble seeing you coming.
You Were Traveling The Speed Limit
It's possible that the other motorist might suggest that you were speeding, thus compounding the fact that he or she didn't hear you approaching. Speed is often a factor in car accidents, but there are a few ways that you can argue against this claim. The police officer's accident report will often state whether speed was an issue. Veteran accident investigators can tell by the nature of the impact approximately how fast a vehicle was traveling. Additionally, if you were running a dashboard camera at the time of the incident, it will have recorded your rate of travel.
You Were Obeying Traffic Laws
It also helps if you can argue that you were obeying traffic laws in the area. This means that regardless of whether the other party heard you coming or not, you were driving in a safe and lawful manner. Witnesses can help to support your claim, but you and your accident attorney can also put the onus on the other party to prove that you weren't driving in a lawful manner. Armed with these defenses, there's a good chance that the judge will toss out the other party's suit against you.
Reach out to an auto accident injury lawyer if you've been in such an accident and need help.
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