Yesterday on the way home from work I narrowly missed crashing into the vehicle in front of me. I was keeping a reasonable amount of following distance but that evaporated quickly because the other vehicle's side brake lights were not functioning. Since it was a mini-van the third brake light didn't register with me until I was already very close. I've run up on fools that have no brake lights before but this was the first true close call.
So here's my question: supposing I had rear-ended the other vehicle would I have a leg to stand on since his vehicle wasn't in proper operating condition? Would "no brake lights" be any kind of defense either between insurance companies or in court?
So here's my question: supposing I had rear-ended the other vehicle would I have a leg to stand on since his vehicle wasn't in proper operating condition? Would "no brake lights" be any kind of defense either between insurance companies or in court?