New Road Laws In Texas May Mean More Lawsuits Suggests Austin Injury Lawyer Brooks Schuelke
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Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) November 8, 2013 – New rules of the road recently went into effect in Texas. The changes are likely to result in more lawsuits.
Austin Personal Injury Lawyers - Perlmutter & Schuelke, LLP
The changes, which went into effect September 1, 2013, are designed to make Texas roadways safer. “Examples of the new road rules include one law that mandates drivers change lanes to allow more room for construction workers and one that hikes fines for illegally passing a school bus while kids are disembarking,” outlined Brooks Schuelke, an Austin injury lawyer with Perlmutter & Schuelke, LLP.
Overall, the changes are minor, but their impact on a driver who violates them may be significant. It is the duty of all drivers to be alert and aware to every hazard on the road. It is also the duty of drivers to know what the laws are relating to driving.
“Claiming they did not know the laws had changed is no excuse and certainly not a legal defense in Texas, and they’ll be issued with a citation and/or arrested despite that fact,” pointed out Schuelke.
The other change on the horizon is that the new laws may end up affecting drivers’ liability when they have an accident. Moving violations are one of the key factors that help the police determine liability, or fault, for an accident. If a driver is handed a ticket under the new laws, that would go a long way in helping prove the offending driver was negligent.
“Some of the new laws are likely to be difficult to enforce, but also easy to run afoul of,” said Schuelke. “For instance the one that states it is illegal to use a cell phone driving around any school property. Speed is not an issue. Any cell phone user must come to a dead stop before using their mobile device.”
Anytime highway traffic and road laws change there is an adjustment period that typically creates havoc on the streets. Those new rules aside, if there is an accident, caused by another’s negligence and ignorance of a new law, the victim has the legal right to contact a personal injury lawyer and discuss compensation for their injuries.