Beware! the Dreaded Driving Too Fast for Conditions Vermont Ticket Is Coming!

As the seasons change and the snow starts to fall, more driver will be venturing outside into slippery driving conditions.  In Vermont, with its sudden elevation changes and narrow roads, the risk of being involved in an accident drastically increases when snow and ice start to hit the roadway.  Thus, in these unfortunate events when a car accident does occur, Vermont law enforcement will be looking to see if drivers were operating their vehicle in a safe manner to determine whether a driving citation or traffic ticket needs to be issued.

Some of the evidence officers will look for is as follows:

1.  The length of any skid marks to give an indication of how fast the vehicle was moving before the accident;
2. The condition of the vehicles tires.  Bald tires along can result in a traffic ticket if the officer feels the driver was negligent in not installing sufficient tires on their car for the driving conditions;
3. The difficulty of the road.  Did this accident occur on a windy tight road, or a wide straight road such as Route 7 or Interstate 89 or 91?
4. Witness statements.  Did anyone else see the accident occur or the manner of operation leading up to the accident?  Keep in mind here, that if witness observation is the sole basis of the Vermont traffic ticket, the officer will need to provide the witness at the hearing, which is rare in Vermont Judicial Bureau proceedings.

Keep in mind all of the above when venturing out into the snow this winter.  Also keep in mind that in Vermont it assumed that any accident, was a result of driving too fast for the conditions or driving recklessly unless their is proof to refute this assumption and thus, extreme care is needed in order to avoid the tickets or criminal citations that can add insult to an already injurious situation.