It is illegal to cross over the double white lines to change lanes as you exit the Downtown tunnel in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA). Wavy News 10 On Your Side monitored this area for 30 minutes, during which time at least 3 cars conducted the illegal lane change.
One driver commented that she has to deal with this every time she exits the tunnel and that her car has almost been hit twice. To make matters worse, many drivers said that they know it is illegal to change lanes there, but they do so anyway because there is nothing to stop them. The problem is that dividers cannot be placed there because it is an interstate, and there is not enough room on the shoulder for police to monitor the area.
These realities do not change the fact that the lane changes are illegal. If a negligent driver changes lanes illegally and causes an accident, that driver can be held liable for the damages.
A potential solution to the problem could be installing something similar to a red light camera, which would allow police to track drivers who make illegal lane changes. However, implementing this solution could take some time, as local legislators would have to make the decision and make installation and maintenance funds available.
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About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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