Opinion ID: 1394134
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: refusal to instruct on driver's duty to yield

Text: The district court did not specifically instruct the jury that Garcia was under a statutory duty to yield to oncoming traffic. The City contends that, because of this, it was somehow hindered in its ability to argue to the jury the extent to which each party was responsible for the accident. According to the City, it was impossible for the jury to quantify the percentage to which Garcia's breach of duty caused the accident when it was not specifically instructed as to what Garcia's duty was. We, on the other hand, have difficulty perceiving how the City could have been prejudiced by a failure to give redundant instructions. The jury was instructed, in Instruction No. 7, that there was no dispute that Garcia admitted negligence for failing to yield to traffic. There can be no negligence in the absence of a breach of duty. See, e.g., Brizendine v. Nampa Meridian Irrigation Dist., 97 Idaho 580, 583, 548 P.2d 80, 83 (1976). Stating that a party was negligent is merely another way of saying that that party breached a duty owed. The duty breached in this instance was the failure to yield to traffic and the jury was effectively so instructed. Therefore, since the instructions given adequately presented the issues and set out the applicable law, no error was committed. Leazer v. Kiefer, 120 Idaho 902, 821 P.2d 957 (1991).