Many car accidents in West Virginia are caused, if usually indirectly, by drivers who travel too slow. If drivers travel so slow as to impede the normal movement of traffic, then they are breaking the law. As for you, you may have been injured in a crash that involved a slow driver. In that case, you may be wondering what your options are for recovering damages.
Being safe around a slow driver
First, it helps to understand just how a safe and responsible driver is supposed to react when faced with a slow driver. To tailgate or engage in some other form of aggressive driving would put that driver at fault as well should an accident occur. Drivers are expected to remain patient and see if those who go slow will move of their own accord. If they don’t budge, then it would be acceptable to flash the headlights or honk the horn.
Who is most likely to be a slow driver
There are roughly four types of slow drivers: distracted drivers, sightseers, the newly licensed and seniors. Among the most dangerous distractions are cell phones as they can make one oblivious to one’s surroundings and one’s speed. The National Safety Council said that phones reduce activity in the parietal lobe of the brain by 37%. This means less ability to make judgments based on what the senses perceive.
Both sightseers and newly licensed drivers may go slow because the area is unfamiliar to them. Yet the latter may also drive slow with the mistaken notion that they are being safe. In fact, the newly licensed often drive slow out of lack of confidence. Seniors may have a health condition that prevents them from going faster: poor eyesight or arthritis, for instance.
A lawyer to handle your case
In this state, you must be deemed less than 50% at fault for a crash to be eligible for compensation under personal injury law. You could consider getting legal assistance; that way, you may focus on your physical recovery while the lawyer gathers evidence and handles negotiations for a settlement.
