TRUELIFE

CAUTIONARY TALES
STATEMENTS FROM AT-FAULT DRIVERS:
TrueLife Statements from at-fault drivers:

Some of the commonly cited reasons given by at-fault drivers for striking a
stopped police vehicle are given below. A review of these comments points
to some evidence that there were cases where the at-fault driver reported
not seeing a stopped police vehicle, despite markings and activated
emergency lights on the latter.

1.‘Saw the flares but thought Icould travelaround them ’

2.‘Saw flares,applied brakes,skidded into the officer’

3.‘Saw the cop but could not stop in tim e in traffic to avoid a collision’

4.‘Applied brakes w hen Isaw the cop,skidded and lost control’

5.‘Saw a cop car ahead that w as stopped at a traffic signal,but Iw as unable to stop’

6.‘Braked to avoid another vehicle,lost controland skidded’

7.‘Another vehicle would not allow me to merge into traffic, forced me to the right and I hit the
squad car on the shoulder’

8.‘Lost controlw hen changing lanes’

9.‘W as preparing to take the exit,but lost controland ran into the cop’

10.‘Took the exit too fast,hit cop car/tow truck on shoulder’

11.‘D id not see the cop tillIw as already sliding out of control’

12.‘D id not see vehicles stopped in the road and officer’s flashing lights’

13.‘D id not realize that cop w as in roadw ay,protecting clean-up crew ’

14.‘D id not see cop w ith lights on,nor the w recker truck’s am ber lights’

15.‘Could not stop because offaulty brakes’

16.‘Inever saw (the)cop or vehicle ahead (of cop)or disabled vehicles on side of road’

17.‘Im ust have been in a daze or w ent to sleep’

TrueLife Statements from at-fault drivers:

18.‘Idid not know that Ihad m ade contact w ith the quad car;Iadm it to having som e alcoholic
beverage’

19.‘Isaw a co-worker stopped on the right shoulder; I was turned around in my seat, pulling
over to the right shoulder when I hit the police car.’

20.‘Iw as looking for a can that had rolled on the floor’

21.‘Iw as attem pting to locate m y cellphone;m y attention w as diverted aw ay from the

roadw ay”

22.‘Took m y eyes offthe road m om entarily to look at m y pager that w as blinking”

23.‘M y cell phone rang and I looked down to answer it. When I looked up, the traffic had
stopped.Iapplied m y brakes,but w as unable to stop”

24.‘W hen Iw ent to turn dow n the radio to talk to m y friend,Iran into the cop (w as

DUI).

25.‘Ireached dow n to get a drink from the interior floorboard. When I looked up,

traffic had stopped’