Figuring out fault in an auto accident is important because it determines which driver's auto insurance company will have to foot the bill for damages and injuries. Sometimes, blame is easy to identify in a given collision. But other times, it's less clear which driver is at fault.
Can you identify which individual is at fault in these six accident videos? Answers are at the bottom of the page.
1. The driver's side door is almost taken off of a sports car by a bus. Whose fault is it -- the man or the bus?
2. A bicyclist is hit by a car that is trying to turn into a parking lot. Whose fault is it -- the car or the bicyclist?
3. A car is bumped from the left side while turning left at an intersection. Whose fault is it -- the "point-of-view" car or the gray sedan to its left?
4. In a parking lot, an SUV reverses into a car which has already backed out of a parking spot. Whose fault is it -- the SUV or the car?
5. A car tries to pull in toward the curb of an airport terminal, but is struck by a silver car pulling away from the curb. Whose fault is it -- the car pulling in or the car pulling out?
6. A motorcycle tries to turn left after pedestrians cross the street and is struck by an SUV trying to turn right. Whose fault is it -- the motorcycle or the SUV? -----------------------------
ANSWERS
1. The man who opened the door into traffic. It is the man's responsibility to keep the door out of the way of traffic flow, and the bus was already sitting there. Had the bus arrived after the door had been open, then it might have been the bus drivers' fault.
2. The motorist. The bike lane on this stretch of road is clearly marked, and vehicles are supposed to yield to bicyclists when turning across it. The Volvo not only failed to yield to the bicyclist, but it encroached on the bike lane even before it started to turn into the parking lot.
3. The gray sedan to its left. The point-of-view car was in a lane which could have turned left or right or proceeded straight through the intersection (note the arrow lane markings at 2:56 of the clip), so it had the right-of-way. The gray sedan slid partially out of its (center) lane during the left turn, striking the point-of-view car in the process.
4. This is sort of a trick question. Conventional wisdom would indicate that the SUV was at fault, since it backed up into a car that had already vacated the spot. However, because this fender bender occurred in a parking lot, traditional roadway traffic laws do not apply -- so both drivers are considered to be "at fault" and must pay for their own repairs (see the video's description).
5. Tough call, because this isn't a camera angle which shows both cars at the same time. But it appears that the car pulling in was already in front of the other car before the silver car began pulling out. That would put the fault on the driver of the car pulling out (even though he/she had already activated the vehicle's turn signal).
6. Technically, both drivers are at fault -- because both are supposed to wait until the crosswalk is completely free of pedestrians before turning. However, since the motorcycle did not have a green turn arrow (see the clip), that means that the SUV had a solid green light, and the right-of-way to turn right. The motorcyclist was obligated to make sure all traffic had cleared the intersection before turning left. So the motorcyclist shoulders a larger portion of the blame than the SUV driver does.
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