The traffic laws on changing lanes in Florida are pretty simple: Don’t change lanes unless it is safe to do so. But merging accidents happen anyway, and more frequently than you might expect.
The situation about lane merging and changing lanes is clear under Florida law. However, switching lanes is subject to human error, and on roads with multiple lanes, a moving lane violation can cause a car accident. An improper lane change can have severe consequences, including neck and spinal cord injuries, impacting life and work.
Every changing lanes car accident is unique, so determining fault requires closely examining individual circumstances. You might wish to claim financial recovery in car accidents involving lane changes, but Florida is a no-fault state. What are your options?
Why Do Lane Change Accidents Happen?
Lane change and accidents happen because drivers can be negligent. Just one driver who fails to look carefully enough in their mirror, who is traveling too fast, or fails to use their blinker when they switch lanes can cause a lane change accident. Tailgating, distraction, and road rage are also causes of an accident while merging.
Florida’s Rules for Merging and Changing Lanes
No one wants to get stuck behind a slow driver in the same lane, but there are rules about changing lanes or roads with two lanes or joining a single lane to avoid a collision.
What Are the Rules for Merging Drivers?
When moving from one lane to another, the rule is that the driver undertaking the maneuver will always yield to vehicles and other drivers in the destination lane and use turn signals.
Do You Have to let Someone Merge in Florida?
Legally, drivers in the destination lane do not have to brake or give way to the merging driver. The responsibility is on the driver trying to merge to check their rearview mirrors, assess any blind spots, use their blinker, and then pull into the new lane at a safe speed.
The Entry Lane Must Be Clear
The driver who wants to change lanes is responsible for ensuring that the entry lane is clear and there is enough room to avoid a collision or accident. It means assessing the speed of other vehicles, ensuring that adjacent vehicles know of their presence, and checking their blind spot is clear of vehicles. Drivers in the new lane must be able to see what the driver trying to merge is doing, so signals and the judgment of speed and road conditions are crucial.
Who Has the Right-of-Way When Merging in Florida?
Florida law 316.085 dictates that no vehicle must leave the path of straight travel unless it is entirely safe to do so. The merging driver must be sure that there is no approaching vehicle, use their turn signal, and check for blind spots, including for vehicles that are almost adjacent and almost passing. Through traffic has the right of way.
Florida law states that the right of way is with the driver already traveling in the destination lane. This rule applies to merging onto a highway or changing lanes onto multilane roads. However, merging requires input from motorists in both lanes.
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The driver in the destination lane must also act responsibly, possibly adjusting their speed to create enough opening for the merging driver. If there is an incident between two drivers, then the behavior of both vehicles is relevant to apportioning blame.
Determining Liability in a Changing Lanes Car Accident
Is the Merger Always at Fault?
If a vehicle is already in the destination lane, then the fault for the accident belongs to the driver attempting to merge. However, not all merging accidents have readily apparent liability. Unpredictable, unreasonable, or dangerous behavior from the other vehicle will have a bearing on merging liability and negligence.
Witness Testimony
Determining liability for an accident requires a close examination of the witness evidence to determine who is at fault. The behavior of both or several vehicles is relevant.
Determining merger liability for lane change accidents and merging accidents requires witness statements from the other drivers and eyewitness accounts from pedestrians. Police reports are crucial to help build a case. It is much harder to prove liability one way or the other if there were no witnesses other than the car accident victims.
Accident Reconstruction
Specialist motor investigation teams can determine physical evidence from road debris and skid marks. Accident reconstruction can help establish liability in a lane change accident claim.
Some motorists who are liable will do their best to deflect their blame onto the other driver or vehicles in the vicinity to try and minimize their fault or avoid it altogether.
Shared Fault with the Other Driver
When both parties are partially to blame, it becomes a situation of shared fault.
A merging driver could accelerate rapidly because he spots a gap in the middle lane, failing to allow traffic flow to adjust to the disparity in speed.
A driver in the destination lane could be distracted and unable to respond quickly enough, hitting the merging vehicle. Both drivers are partially to blame for the accident.
In this scenario, both drivers may try and blame the other or assign more of the blame to the opposite party, making other evidence can be crucial.
Sometimes, rather than spend time and money trying to work out the exact portion of the fault in a changing lanes car accident, it is quicker and easy to split the liability down the middle 50:50.
Florida’s Comparative Negligence Law
Florida is a comparative negligence state meaning two drivers can share fault for motor vehicle accidents. The injured party will still be able to receive compensation for serious injuries or minor personal injury.
Under Florida’s comparative negligence law, the courts will award compensation based on each driver’s percentage of fault in the merging accident. Percentage directly affects compensation, which is why apportionment of fault can become such a fraught issue.
Get Legal Assistance
If you have found yourself the victim of a merging accident in Florida caused by another vehicle or illegal lane changes, always take contact details from the other party. You will need expert assistance to claim the compensation you deserve for injuries sustained and property damage. If there are no witnesses on the highway and the other driver is contesting your claim for an unsafe lane change, it is essential to get expert and professional advice as quickly as possible. If you have permanent injuries, it is crucial to prove fault against the other driver.
At Brian D. Guralnick Injury Lawyers, we offer a free case evaluation for car accidents in Florida. We pride ourselves on a positive and supportive attorney-client relationship and will help you manage your lane change accident. At your first free consultation, we will evaluate your auto accident to determine whether there was an illegal lane change or an unsafe lane change and where the fault lies.
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