On January 24, 2023, at approximately 12:30 pm an auto accident occurred when a white car went left of center and struck an oil truck causing the truck to go off the roadway and flip down an embankment. The accident occurred on KY highway 425 near the Pratt Paper Mill in Henderson County. One person was killed and two others were injured in the crash.

Staying in Your Lane on Roadways is the most Fundamental and Important Rule to Follow for Safe Driving.

Staying in your lane is the most important rule to follow when driving a vehicle. You are unlikely to have an accident or be at fault in an accident if you stay in your lane and keep a look out in front of you. In today’s world, it could be argued that keeping a lookout in front of you is the most fundamental rule for safe driving, because so many people are looking at their phones. However, I believe that the most fundamental rule is to stay in your lane, because you have the right of way there.

There is no doubt that if you fail to stay in your lane, like the driver in the white car in the Henderson accident described above, the accident will be a severe one. Two vehicles travelling in the opposite direction will create a greater impact than vehicles traveling in the same direction. And, if the vehicles travelling in the opposite directions are travelling at a high rate of speed, severe injuries and death usually result. We should avoid passing other vehicles when it requires us to travel in the opposite lane. Any accident that occurs will likely be our fault because we are not in our lane. If a car pulls out of a driveway or is travelling in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed and an accident results, we are likely to be considered totally at fault because we were not in our lane. To learn rules about safe passing of other vehicles, click here.

As an auto accident attorney for over 36 years, I have represented thousands of accident victims and have spoken with thousands of others involved in accidents and many times these victims will try to put the blame on the other driver when they failed to yield the right of way. They will complain about the speed of the other driver or the failure to use a turning signal and, while speed and using a turning signal are important, there is no escaping the fact that staying in your lane is fundamental and the easiest way to avoid an accident. Many people who pull out in front of another vehicle making a left-hand turn will say the other driver was speeding. But, the fact remains, you saw the other driver and had the opportunity to observe the speed of the vehicle and you pulled out into their lane.

Speed rarely is the primary cause of an accident, unless it is a single-car accident and the driver is driving too fast to negotiate a curve in the roadway or simply loses control due to an excessive speed. The most important thing for driver’s to do is stay in their lane and yield the right of way when they leave their lane. Do that and you can stay away from most accidents.

Contact Kentucky Auto Accident Attorney

If you need legal assistance due to a motor vehicle accident, contact Kentucky auto accident attorney Matthew Troutman directly at 859-696-0001 or 502-648-9507 and he will meet with you in the hospital, your home or wherever is convenient for you. He will give you direct access through his cell phone and guide you through the difficult process necessary to obtain the best result possible for you in your car accident claim. To learn more about Kentucky car accident attorney Matthew Troutman and the Troutman Law Office, click here.