Walk It Through: The Crash At The Light
A rear end collision with no injuries: the duties at the scene, the report, and the points.
A rear end collision at a red light. Both drivers are shaken, and nobody is hurt.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One collision with property damage and no injury. Fault and insurance, crashes with an injury or a death, leaving the scene, and how long points stay on a record are not covered here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Any bodily alcohol contentFor a minor under the liquor code, 0.02 or more, or any presence of alcohol from drinking outside a religious service or ceremony.
- Implied consentThe rule that a person who drives on a Michigan highway is considered to have consented to a chemical test on arrest for the offenses the section lists.
- Operating while intoxicatedOperating a vehicle on a highway or any place open to the public or generally accessible to vehicles, parking areas included, while under the influence, or with an alcohol content of 0.08 grams or more per 100 milliliters of blood, per 210 liters of breath, or per 67 milliliters of urine.
- Operating while visibly impairedOperating a vehicle when the ability to operate is visibly impaired by alcohol or another substance.
- Passenger areaThe area designed to seat the driver and passengers while the vehicle is in operation, and any area readily reachable from a seat, the glove compartment included.
- PointsThe entries the Secretary of State records on a driving record for each conviction or civil infraction determination, by the schedule in the section: 1 for more than 1 and up to 5 mph over, up to 6 for the most serious offenses.
- Preliminary breath testThe breath test at the roadside, before any arrest. Refusing it on a lawful request is a civil infraction for most drivers.