Who's to blame - Car crashes
Factors that may impact on who is to blame:
- Were any traffic rules broken, for example, failing to stop at a stop sign, speeding, or using a mobile phone?
- Were all cars road worthy?
- Had a driver consumed alcohol or drugs?
- Was a driver distracted or tired?
- Was a driver following too closely behind another car (tailgating)?
After an accident you need to decide who is to blame, who is at fault. The person who is at fault is the one who caused the accident.
Sometimes:
- a driver at fault may not be the one who ends up paying for the damage
- more than one driver is at fault
- someone not involved in the accident may be responsible
- no one may be at fault, for example, an unavoidable accident caused by an animal running across the road
- it is difficult to work out who is responsible for paying the cost of repairing your vehicle, for example, the person driving a taxi, bus or truck might not be the owner and might not be insured.
If you or the other driver were driving for work, your employer or their employer may have to cover the costs of the accident.
If you have an accident with an animal, you may be able to make a claim against the owner. You may have responsibilities towards the animal or the animal's owner.
The owner of a hire car is not usually responsible for the damage caused by the driver of that car.
