Negligence per se is a law principle that simplifies the process of proving negligence in specific circumstances. Unlike general negligence claims, where plaintiffs must establish the defendant's duty of care, breach, causation, and damages, negligence per se automatically presumes a responsibility and breach when specific legal violations occur.
In summary, negligence per se applies when a defendant breaks a law or regulation designed to protect the public, and that violation directly causes harm to someone the law was intended to protect. This doctrine serves as a shortcut, allowing judges to focus on causation and damages rather than debating whether the defendant acted negligently.
One of the clearest examples of negligence per se is **driver distraction**, a behavior that has grown more common with the rise of smartphones and other distractions behind the wheel. Distracted driving laws, such as prohibitions against texting while driving, are designed to protect everyone on the road from avoidable accidents. When a person violates these laws and causes an accident, they can be found automatically negligent.
### How Negligence Per Se Works
For negligence per se to be relevant, four factors must generally be met:
1. **The defendant broke a statute or regulation** – For instance, texting while driving goes against laws in most states.
2. **The statute was enacted to prevent the type of harm that occurred** – Texting bans are intended to reduce car accidents caused by driver inattention.
3. **The plaintiff was among the group of people the law was designed to protect** – Road users, including drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians, are intended beneficiaries of distracted driving laws.
4. **The statutory violation caused the plaintiff’s injury** – A direct connection must exist between the violation and the harm, such as a crash caused by a driver who was texting.
When these criteria are met, the legal system presumes the defendant was negligent. This means the plaintiff doesn’t need to prove the defendant's behavior was unreasonable—only that it violated the law and resulted in harm.
### Distracted Driving as a Case Study
Consider this scenario: A driver glances at their phone to read a text message, runs a red light, and crashes into another vehicle. The driver broke a traffic law designed to prevent accidents, and their behavior directly caused harm. Under negligence per se, the injured party can argue that the statutory violation is enough to establish the driver’s negligence.
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