Category: Car Accidents

Imagine yourself driving down the street to work on a typical day. Suddenly, a car appears in front of you backing out of a driveway. You react, applying your brakes as hard as you can. Unfortunately, the other car is too close for you to stop in time and you hit the rear of it with a huge thump. You are jerked violently forward. You lose awareness of time for a short period. When you come to you feel dizzy and wonder if you sustained a concussion or suffered whiplash. Your chest hurts but you are glad you wore your seatbelt as without it you could have been sent hurtling through the windshield. 

You have just been in a car accident.

Now, put yourself in the position of the other car’s driver. Imagine you just finished placing your two-year-old daughter in the child safety seat in the back of the car. You pass over her favourite teddy bear which makes her smile. You close the door and hop into the driver’s seat. You shoot a glance at the dashboard clock and breathe a sigh of relief because unlike yesterday you are on time to drop your daughter off at the daycare a few blocks away. You glance at the roadway and all seems clear. You put the car in reverse and start backing out. Suddenly, you hear screeching tires and before you realize what is happening, glass shatters and your car gets pushed sideways. When you gather yourself the first thoughts you have are about your little girl in the back seat. You turn around, see her looking at you and notice she is crying a little but otherwise seems fine. 

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The short answer is no. The long answer is that generally speaking left-turning vehicles must yield the right of way to oncoming vehicles. However, that doesn’t mean they are automatically at fault and every accident must be examined on it’s own facts and a determination made as to who “caused” the collision.

There is a common misunderstanding that if you were making a left turn you are automatically at fault for the accident.  However, liability will depend on the right of way, the speed of the vehicles, the duties of each driver, and what a reasonable and prudent driver would have done in the same situation.

The Left-Hand Turn Rules in Nova Scotia

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Do you
experience fear of driving or get anxious about getting behind the wheel of
your vehicle? Do you have paralysing thoughts of being responsible for an
accident that may cause others injury or loss of life?

An Accident Caused Vehophobia

It was Saturday
morning and “Jim”, had stopped at a stop sign. He was a busy man, but Jim had promised
he would always attend his 6-year-old son’s soccer games. His son sat in the
back seat with a soccer ball in his lap.

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