"Had Eyes But Didn't See"

The driver of a brown van did not notice the sign that read "Right Lane Ends 1000 Feet Ahead," so he kept on driving in the right lane.

This forced the driver of the blue minivan to swerve into the left lane.

He hit the red pickup truck. The blue minivan and the red pickup truck both stopped at the crash scene.

The driver of the blue minivan suffered a broken shoulder and facial cuts. The driver of the red pickup truck had two broken ribs.

Who was at fault in this accident?

The driver of the brown van
The driver of the blue minivan
The driver of the red pickup truck

Answer: The driver of the brown van

And here is why:

A driver changing lanes must yield the right-of-way to any driver already in that lane. However, his problem began much earlier when he didn't notice the sign warning him that the right lane was coming to an end.

Good drivers make a habit of looking 10 to 15 seconds ahead of their cars. This way they can spot a problem early, while they still have plenty of time to do something about it. In the city, 10 to 15 seconds is about a block ahead. At highway speeds, it is about a quarter of a mile, or about as far ahead as you can see clearly.

The driver of the blue minivan might have prevented the accident. He could see that the other driver was not paying attention. He could have dropped back to allow room for a last-minute swerve.

You cannot watch out for everyone else on the road. You can, however, learn to spot the people who are most likely to cause you trouble. This includes:

• People who cannot see you, such as people whose vision is blocked by snow-covered windows, buildings close to intersections, or other cars.
• People who are distracted, such as people engaged in conversation, people trying to read house numbers, or children chasing after toys.
• People who are confused, such as a tourist at a complex intersection, or a driver who is hesitating for what seems like no good reason.

The driver of the red pickup truck: He could also have seen that trouble was brewing. He could have dropped back to let the blue minivan make a quick lane change.