Be Careful When Waiving Someone Through

Stopped at a red light and someone want to pass in front of you to cross traffic? Be careful before you waive them through. In Georgia, courts have held that if you signal to another driver that the way is safe for the other vehicle to pass, or to cross in front of you, you should realize that once the other driver relies on your signal, YOU may be liable for damages if that car gets into an accident while crossing. The determination will be left to a jury. As the Georgia Supreme Court held: “one who undertakes to warn the public of danger [or lack of danger] and thereby induces reliance must perform his “good Samaritan” task in a careful manner.”