Legal Definitions - proper lookout

Proper lookout refers to the legal responsibility of anyone operating a vehicle to maintain a vigilant awareness of their surroundings and to take reasonable actions to prevent collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, or any potential hazards.

Essentially, it means a driver must be attentive, observant, and prepared to react to conditions on the road to ensure safety.

• Example 1: Approaching an Intersection

  A driver, Ms. Chen, is approaching a green light at an intersection. Even though she has the right-of-way, she glances left and right before proceeding, noticing a car quickly approaching from the cross-street that appears unlikely to stop at its red light. Ms. Chen slows down and honks, preventing a potential T-bone collision.

  This illustrates proper lookout because Ms. Chen actively scanned the intersection beyond just her immediate signal, identifying a potential danger and reacting proactively to avoid an accident, even when she technically had the right-of-way.

• Example 2: Backing Out of a Parking Space

  Mr. Davies is backing his car out of a parking space in a busy shopping center lot. Before shifting into reverse, he checks his rearview mirror, both side mirrors, and then turns his head to look over both shoulders. As he slowly backs up, he sees a child on a scooter quickly approaching from behind his vehicle and immediately stops.

  Mr. Davies demonstrated proper lookout by thoroughly checking all angles around his vehicle, not relying solely on mirrors, and being attentive to the movement of others in the parking lot, thereby preventing an injury to the child.

• Example 3: Driving in Inclement Weather

  During a heavy rainstorm, a truck driver, Sarah, reduces her speed significantly on the highway, increases her following distance from other vehicles, and frequently uses her wipers to maintain visibility. She notices a large puddle forming ahead in the right lane and carefully steers into the middle lane to avoid hydroplaning.

  Sarah's actions exemplify proper lookout because she adjusted her driving behavior to the challenging weather conditions, actively scanned the road for hazards like the puddle, and took preventative measures to maintain control of her vehicle and avoid an accident.