My father used to get mad at me a lot growing up. I get it, he was a nervous dad who just wanted his son to turn out OK in life; however, when he got mad at me for a car accident I was in that wasn't my fault, I was a bit confused.

It was a summer evening back in 2000 when I was driving my then '89 Mustang GT down Boston St. in Lynn when I noticed a car backing out of its driveway just ahead. I thought to myself, "I have the right of way and I'm late for my gig, so I'm gonna keep going".

Well, apparently he thought the same thing because he kept backing out of his driveway, crossed over the double yellow line, and crashed into my left front quarter panel even after I swerved to avoid the crash.

When the Lynn Fire Department arrived they immediately placed the blame on him, citing that I did not have to stop or yield to let him back out of his driveway safely.

BUT, IS IT ILLEGAL TO BACK OUT OF YOUR DRIVEWAY IN MASSACHUSETTS?

The answer is no, but...

So, while it is not illegal to back out of a driveway, the burden is definitely on the reversing vehicle to do so safely. Keep in mind that oncoming traffic is not required to yield to a reversing car, even if the driveway is blind. -smarterhomemaker.com

So, I was right in assuming I had the right of way, even though the guy tried to sue me for his back injury! I took the letter from his lawyer and chucked it in the trash after talking to my insurance company.

If you can, back into your driveway to avoid a messy situation.