Court Opinion

ID: 9531835
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:15:01.5+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:28:35.878036
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J.
I dissent. The issue in this case is whether or not a purported violation of the traffic law right of way at intersections (Veh. Code, § 550) constitutes negligence per se; that is, whether the court should adopt it as the invariable standard of care or the test should be that of the conduct of a person of ordinary prudence. The latter is preferable for the reason that the rule is not capable of precise application.
A violation of the rule may or may not be negligence depending upon the circumstances. That is conceded by the opinion prepared by Justice Edmonds and is supported by the *602authorities. It is clear that there may be factors indicating that the violation of the rule may not be negligence, such as excuse, emergency, justification, the speed of the vehicles, and their distance from the intersection and the nature of the intersection. (See Mathers v. County of Riverside, 22 Cal. 2d 781 [141 P.2d 419]; Lindenbaum v. Barbour, 213 Cal. 277 [2 P.2d 161]; Stevenson v. Fleming, 47 Cal.App.2d 225 [117 P.2d 717]; Miller v. Cranston, 41 Cal.App.2d 470 [106 P.2d 963]; Groat v. Walkup Drayage etc. Co., 14 Cal.App.2d 350 [58 P.2d 200].) Being dependent upon the circumstances in the particular case, we have nothing more, in effect, than an application of the ordinary prudence standard, and the provision of the statute should not be made an absolute standard for the determination of either the issue of negligence or contributory negligence. The right of way rule does not lend itself to practical application. It is only in the rare theoretical situation that it can be applied. It must be supposed that the two vehicles are travelling at the identical speed and enter the intersection at precisely the same time; and that the view of oncoming vehicles is equal to both drivers. There must be no disturbing elements or sudden emergencies. Justice Edmonds treats the matter as creating a prima facie case of negligence and then shifts the burden of going forward to the opponent to show exculpatory circumstances. That leads only to confusion of the jury. If there may be such circumstances then the test actually being used is the conduct of a person of ordinary prudence. Hence the jury should be so instructed thus avoiding the complication of shifting the burden of proceeding which must inevitably result in confusion.
The majority opinion states: “The presumption created by proof of the failure to comply with a statute or ordinance relieves a defendant from the burden of proving that the plaintiff failed to act as a reasonably prudent man. All that the defendant need prove to establish contributory negligence is that plaintiff’s violation of the statute in question proximately caused the accident. The burden cast upon the defendant where such violation is relied upon, is therefore more easily established than a failure to act as would a reasonably prudent man under similar circumstances. If there was a violation of the applicable statute, the burden of going forward is then cast upon' the plaintiff, if the defendant is relying upon contributory negligence, to present evidence jus*603tifying an excuse for violation. If the jury does not believe that the evidence is sufficient to excuse violation, it must find for the defendant. ” (Emphasis added.) The foregoing statement will not bear thoughtful analysis. After stating that: “All that the defendant need prove to establish contributory negligence is that plaintiff’s violation of the statute in question proximately caused the accident,” the opinion states: “The burden cast upon the defendant where such violation is relied upon, is therefore more easily established than a failure to act as would a reasonably prudent man under similar circumstances.” Why this result obtains does not appear. We may assume that all available evidence relative to plaintiff’s conduct will be offered, and it is for the trier of fact to determine from such evidence in the light of the applicable statute whether such conduct was that of a reasonably prudent person under similar circumstances. If it was, it cannot be said that plaintiff was negligent even if he did violate said statute. The opinion then states that if there was a violation of the applicable statute, “the burden of going forward is then cast upon the plaintiff ... to present evidence justifying an excuse for violation.” (Emphasis added.) If, as asserted in the majority opinion, the violation of a statute or ordinance which is a proximate cause of the accident is negligence per se, how can such violation be excused or justified? It clearly appears from the discussion in the majority opinion that it is the position of the majority that the violation of a statute or ordinance is not negligence per se unless it is a proximate cause of the accident. It should follow that if such violation is a proximate cause of the accident, it cannot be excused or justified so far as civil responsibility is concerned. That is to say, that if a defendant has violated a statute or ordinance, and such violation is a proximate cause of an accident, he is liable in civil damages for any injury which may flow therefrom. Contributory negligence will not defeat recovery by plaintiff unless it contributes proximately to the happening of the accident. Therefore, in order to hold that the violation of a statute or ordinance by plaintiff constitutes contributory negligence, it must first be determined that such violation was a proximate cause of the accident. If it was a proximate cause of the. accident, it cannot be excused or justified. However, the majority opinion purports to lay down the rule that the violation of a statute or ordinance may be a *604proximate cause of the accident, and therefore constitutes negligence per se, and yet may be excused or justified. Such a rule can only lead to confusion worse confounded. How such a rule can be applied in a trial forum is difficult to understand. Negligence cases are presented by the plaintiff first making out a prima facie case of negligence on the part of the defendant which was a proximate cause of the accident. The defendant then presents his defense by attempting to show absence of negligence on his part or contributory negligence on the part óf the plaintiff. When the evidence is concluded the court instructs the jury that so far as the burden of proof is concerned, such burden is on the plaintiff to prove defendant’s negligence and the burden is on the defendant to prove any contributory negligence on the part of plaintiff unless such contributory negligence affirmatively appears from the evidence presented by the plaintiff. Accepting the theory advanced in the majority opinion that the violation of a statute or ordinance is negligence per se, and assuming that there was evidence of a violation of a statute or ordinance by either party, the court could very simply instruct the jury that if they believe that either party was guilty of a violation of a statute or ordinance and that such violation was a proximate cause of the accident the violator was guilty of negligence per se unless such violation was excused or justified. This is, in effect, what the trial court did in the case at bar except that it added that a person who violates a statute is not guilty of negligence if he acted as a reasonably prudent person, which is the equivalent of saying that the violation was excused or justified. There is no basis in such a case for talk about the “burden of going forward,” or that it is easier to establish contributory negligence by proving that plaintiff violated a statute than to prove that his conduct was not that of a reasonably prudent person, as all of the evidence has been already introduced and the function of the jury is to weigh that evidence and arrive at a conclusion based upon the law contained in the instructions of the court.
This court has recognized that criminal statutes such as traffic laws are not always accepted as approximate standards in civil actions for negligence: (Hopper v. Bulaich, 27 Cal. 2d 431 [164 P.2d 483] ; Clinkscales v. Carver, 22 Cal.2d 72 [136 P.2d 777] ; Mathers v. County of Riverside, 22 Cal.2d 781 [141 P.2d 419].) In the Mathers case, involving the traffic law (Veh. Code, § 525) requiring that a ear be driven *605as near the right hand curb as practicable, this court in holding erroneous an instruction that the violation thereof was negligence as a matter of law stated (p. 786) : “Under all of the circumstances of the case it should have been left to the jury whether or not the position of her [plaintiff’s] car with reference to the white [center] line constituted contributory negligence. ’ ’
It should be obvious that the moment the absolute standard, which makes violation of a statute or ordinance negligence per se, is relaxed, by permitting a showing of excuse, justification, emergency, etc.; the inevitable result is that the issue of negligence is determined by the trier of fact giving consideration to evidence relating to the conduct of the parties. While the standard provided in the statute or ordinance is a factor to be considered, the ultimate fact to be determined is whether or not the person charged with negligence or contributory negligence failed to exercise that degree of care which a reasonably prudent person would have exercised under similar circumstances. Hence, the standard applied is the conduct which would be expected of a reasonably prudent person. Experience has shown that this is the standard applied by juries in the general run of negligence cases. Little heed is given to technical and artificial standards which have no practical application, as jurors are familiar with traffic rules and are more capable of applying them to the facts of a particular case than the members of this court.
For the reasons above discussed a violation of the traffic law right of way as constituting negligence per se is peculiarly inadequate to test civil liability, and the instruction in the case at bar applying the test of a reasonably prudent person was proper.
The judgment should be affirmed.