Legal Tip of the Day-"Contributing Factors" Listed on Accident Reports (Georgia Automobile Insurance Law) Typically, law enforcement officers who investigate automobile accidents prepare a Georgia Uniform Motor Vehicle Accident Report. In addition to a section in this standardized report for the investigating officer to indicate the issuance of citations, such report contains a section for the officer to identify "contributing factors" for each driver involved in the accident. Such "contributing factors" include, among others, "driver lost controls," "following too closely," "too fast for conditions" and "failed to yield." While the investigating officer is allowed to testify as to the facts he gathered at the scene and his own observations, he is precluded form testifying as to "contributing factors." Testimony as to contributing factors relates to the ultimate issue of negligence, and it is not the province of the investigating officer to draw a conclusion that the party was guilty of an negligent act that contributed to the accident. Moreover, even if the officer qualifies as an expert witness, such testimony as to contributing factors is generally not allowed.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 14:16:07 +0000
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