Who is more at fault?

debodun

debodun

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Location
way upstate in New York, USA
Given this hypothetical situation: The driver in the blue car on Road A is waiting to make a left turn onto Street B at a T-shaped intersection where there is a stop sign but no traffic light. The driver of the red car on Street B slows down and puts on a right direction signal indicating he/she is likely going to make a right onto Road A. The driver in the blue car pulls out onto Street B assuming the red car will make its indicated turn, but the red car does not turn, instead it accelerates and collides with the blue car. Who is more at fault?

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The driver in the blue car is at fault. The turn signal indicators don't mean a thing. I always wait for the car to go turn signals or not. I don't trust drivers. The driver in the red car has the right of way because the blue car is at a stop sign. He is responsible for making sure the intersection is clear before proceeding.
 
Yes, I agree with Camper6. The blue car is probably at fault. I never trust turn signals either.

Another consideration may be where the red car hit the blue car. Did the red car hit the front end of the blue car, the middle, or the rear. If the red car hit the rear of the blue car, the blue car driver might not be entirely at fault.

But in this case, it is within the realm of possibilities that it could be some kind of insurance scam perpetrated by the red car driver by purposefully acting in ways to cause an accident, but making it look like the other driver is at fault. I hope that was not the case here. One example I remember hearing about years ago was people who look for cars with AAA stickers to set up the drivers to have an accident, knowing that a reputable insurance co. would pay up.
 

Granny B. said:
Yes, Camper6 is correct. The blue car is at fault. I never trust turn signals either.

But in this case, it is within the realm of possibilities that it could be some kind of insurance scam perpetrated by the red car driver by acting in ways to cause an accident on purpose, but making it look like the other driver is at fault. I hope that was not the case here. One example I remember hearing about years ago was people who look for cars with AAA stickers to set up the drivers in an accident, knowing that a reputable insurance co. would pay up.
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That would be extremely hard to prove.

The thing with turn signals is that they signal the 'intent' to turn not the turn itself. You could change your mind. You don't have to turn just because your turn signals are on.

I know I am going to get flak for this.
 
I don't know about legally but after 54 years of driving I've learned never to assume that the other driver is going to do the right thing. If I'm the driver of the blue car I'm going to wait until the red car is actually into the turn. I've seen too many people change their minds at the last minute and not follow through with what they are signaling. I've even done it myself. You get ready to make a turn and then suddenly realize that OOPs! that's the wrong street!
 
I'll second everyone. An accident just like this happened a few months ago to a friend of a friend. The policeman involved said signal lights are not taken into account. Blue car at fault. Friend was in the red car.
 
I agree, the blue car is at fault. If he had the stop sign, then he shouldn't have proceeded until it was completely safe to do so. I see many people with their turn signals on, and until they are starting to make the turn and there's no doubt, I don't proceed. Then there's people who have the signal on and don't turn at all, like mentioned above. You can't trust people to turn when they signal or not turn if they don't signal, you always have to drive defensively.
 
The blue car is completely at fault. The car going straight has the right of way over the blue car turning left across its lane. It's the obligation of the blue car to be sure the road is clear before he turns across it, turn signal or no, with or without the stop sign.
 
The driver of the blue car clearly at fault. Best guess this kind of accident gave rise to the need for side impact air bags.
 

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