You probably know or at least have heard stories of Pottsville drivers that have mastered all sorts of driving conditions. These people likely feel confident enough to drive at near normal speeds when snow and rain start to fall. This line of thinking may seem to fly in the face of the idea of driving too fast for certain conditions. Yet does such an idea have merit? Are there times when the expectation should be that motorists exercise added caution given the hazardous potential that slick or icy roads present?
According to Pennsylvania state law, you can be cited for driving too fast for current road conditions, even if you happened to be driving within the specified speed limit. However, applying this principle may be difficult, given that the criteria for hazardous road conditions most likely differs from driver to driver. Certainly more experienced drivers are likely more prepared to deal with the problems that poor conditions can present. That experience, however, does not change the fact that vehicles are more difficult to control and obstacles are more difficult to spot in certain situations.
If you have been involved in a car accident in which you believe another driver was driving too fast for the given conditions, you may not be required to challenge the driver’s individual driving skills. Rather, you may simply need to prove that due to the weather and road conditions present at the time of the accident, the speed at which the other vehicle was traveling was sufficient enough for it to present a danger, regardless of the other driver’s experience.
While the information given above should not be viewed as legal advice, it may prove useful if you happen to be involved in an accident in poor road conditions.