BACKING BY A VEHICLE 1. Struck moving vehicle. 2. Struck overhead obstruction. 3. Struck stationary object. These are normally preventable. The fact that someone was directing the operator in backing does not relieve a driver of his or her responsibility to back out safely. 1. Was it necessary to back: a. Was it necessary to drive into the narrow street, dead-end alley, or driveway from which he or she backed? 2. If the driver could not see where he or she was backing: a. Did the driver try to get someone to guide him or her? b. Did the driver look all around the vehicle before getting in? c. Did the driver back immediately after looking? d. Did the driver use his or her horn while backing? e. Did the driver look to the rear without depending on the rear vision mirror? f. If the distance was long, did the driver stop, get out, and look around occasionally? 3. Did the driver back slowly? 4. Did the driver judge his backing clearance accurately? If the answer to any question is no, the driver was not driving defensively and is at fault. Home