Winter is coming to the Kansas City area. With that comes the reality that drivers in Kansas City and in both the Kansas and Missouri suburbs are going to have to deal with wintry driving conditions. Even on fair weather days, there are relatively few hours of daylight. Moreover, snow, ice, fog, wind and other types of weather can make the roads slick and the driving particularly treacherous.
Unfortunately, many people simply take for granted that they will be able to handle the adverse weather. Some may, for instance, assume that their in-car technology has them covered, while others may assume that they will be fine so long as they do not exceed the posted speed limit. Late November and early December may be the ideal time to remind people that, in Missouri, the posted speed limit is the maximum speed a person can drive in ideal weather conditions.
A motorist in Missouri also has an ongoing obligation always to drive in a careful manner and at a speed that will not endanger the life or property of another person. In other words, if a person is driving so fast that the driver cannot reliably control the vehicle, then that driver is, legally speaking, speeding. In fact, this sort of behavior can even result in a criminal charge if it causes an accident.
Moreover, a person who violates the so-called basic speed limit and causes an auto accident on a snowy or icy road may also be held legally accountable for negligence. Through the appropriate type of lawsuit, victims may recover medical expenses, lost wages and other non-economic damages.
