VIDEO: Guy Singing Crashes His Car

The boy was singing, got distracted and crashed his car.

Fortunately, he wasn’t injured.

He turned out okay and he actually has a pretty nice voice, but negligence behind the wheel is a worrisome issue.

According to nolo.com, negligence is a legal theory that is the basis for many car accident lawsuits. If you’ve been in a car accident and have been sued or are suing the other party, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the term “negligence” kicked around. But what exactly is negligence and how do you prove it? Here’s a primer on using negligence as a basis for recovery in car accident cases.

When a person is negligent, it means that he or she has behaved in a thoughtless or careless manner, which has caused harm or injury to another person.

A person can be negligent by doing something that he or she should not have done (for example, running a red light or speeding), or by failing to do something that he or she should have done (for example, failing to yield, stop for a pedestrian, or turn on lights when driving at night).

Negligence is a legal theory often used in car accident cases. A driver must use care to avoid injuring other motorists, passengers, or pedestrians — basically, anyone that he or she encounters on the road. If a driver is not reasonably careful and injures someone as a result, the driver is liable for injuring the accident victim.

The law requires drivers to use reasonable care to avoid harming anyone encountered on the road. But what exactly does this entail? Here are some examples of specific requirements that the law has imposed. If a driver fails to meet these requirements, he or she may be found to have violated the driver duty of reasonable care.

Driving at a reasonable speed . Drivers have a duty to drive at a reasonable, prudent speed. A person who drives at a speed that is unreasonable in light of the existing traffic, road, visibility, and weather conditions may be negligent.

Even driving at the speed limit can be considered negligent if, for example, visibility is low, the weather is bad, or the circumstances warrant particular caution (driving by a school where you can expect children to be crossing, for example).

Vigilance and keeping a proper lookout. Drivers have a duty to be alert and to maintain a careful lookout for other vehicles, pedestrians, and road hazards.

Drivers are expected to see the things that an ordinary, prudent person would see. A failure to keep a proper lookout — by, for example, failing to take care when driving by a road construction site or a school crossing — can constitute negligence.

Maintaining control of the car . Drivers are expected to keep their car under control by, for example, being able to stop quickly. Negligence may be inferred if a car loses control (such as overturning or leaving the road) for no apparent reason.

Maintaining and using the car’s equipment. Drivers are expected to maintain their vehicles in safe working order. For example, lights and brakes should be working properly.