# "Not Responsible" signs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 24, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011 "2003-06-24T13:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elfoldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@elfoldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfoldo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/21 "2003-06-24T16:12:02Z")
The other things about those signs is that they cannot be read from 200 feet away. Maybe from 40-50 feet you can read them, but not from 200 feet. I’m sure there’s a standard somewhere that says how big letters have to be for someone with 20/20 vision to read them from 200 feet away. If the trucker expects people to read the sign, it should be readable from 200 feet away. Take a picture of the sign on the truck and show that the letters are not nearly big enough to be read from 200 feet away. Also, isn’t the rule for tailgating to allow 1 car length for every 10 mph of speed? So 200 feet of clearance would be sufficient for a 15’ long car traveling 130 mph. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/22 "2003-06-24T16:22:52Z")
The sign is there because some people actually BELIEVE that the company wouldn’t be responsible for damage to your vehicle. They’re responsible. Call them up and give them the total for the repair. They’ll pay it. If not, sue them for it. ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/23 "2003-06-24T17:37:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Necros \* > \*\*From the way I’ve had it explained it to my by various law enforcement personnel (I’m in Colorado), our state laws require that loads smaller than one inch in diameter be secured. Truckers are responsible for parts for their loads that fall off and hit your car. They are not responsible for a rock that was already on the ground that the truck kicked up. There seems to be a gray area where the load falls from the truck onto the ground, and then bounces and hits your car. The consensus seemed to be that the truck would be at fault, but it would be difficult to win in court. If the rock falls off onto your car, though, it’s pretty clear cut, and trucking companies’ insurance companies do pay for this sort of thing. \*\* You are exactly right. I have my insurance agent’s license in Alabama and anything that comes off of a vehicle and damages something is their fault. Anything already in the road that a vehicle kicks back and causes damage is considered a “road hazard.” ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/24 "2003-06-24T17:44:09Z")
Be wary of reporting it to YOUR insurance… Even though you weren’t at fault, it constitues a claim, and a claim goes against YOUR record. ~J ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/25 "2003-06-24T17:49:28Z")
This is like those signs in shopping centers that tenants put up in front of their businesses that say “Parking For X Store Only. Violators Will Be Towed At Their Own Expense.” The thing is, that’s bullshit. When you rent a space in a shopping strip, you don’t rent the parking in front of it, too; anybody who is going into any store in the entire strip has a right to park wherever the hell they want. **Kalhoun** is correct; a lot of signage is put up based on the idea that people don’t _know_ it isn’t legally enforceable. Same thing with those “We break, we cry, you break, you buy” signs in shops with breakable stuff on display. Unless they can prove that you broke it on purpose, accidents are their liability; if they really want to protect it they wouldn’t have it out on the counter for you to manhandle. (Now, if you did break something it would be very nice of you to buy it, but you are not legally required to.) The OP’s situation is crap. Sue the bastard! ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/26 "2003-06-24T17:55:38Z")
I worked with truckers for many years, and it was my job to make sure they had insurance for just this sort of thing. As far as I know, there is no place in the US where the trucker would not be liable. (I tracked insurance so that my company would not be liable, since they were using our equipment.) I’ve never heard of any case where a sign would remove liability. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/27 "2003-06-24T19:21:14Z")
Sue, sue, sue - That’s what you need to do… (Actually, call the company first and ask them politely to pay for your windshield; if they say “no”, _then_ sue them 'til they bleed.) ---
**Author:** ![Boo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@Boo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/28 "2003-06-24T19:35:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*(Actually, call the company first and ask them politely to pay for your windshield; if they say “no”, _then_ sue them 'til they bleed.) \*\* This is what I did and it eventually worked, although I didn’t mention the word “bleed.” He tried to weazel out of it at first saying I needed a police report and photograph of the truck to prove the load wasn’t secured. I eventually said you have two choices 1) pay for it or 2) we’ll let a small claims court judge decide…and I reminded him the loser pays court costs. He then told me to send the bill to his attention.😉 ---
**Author:** ![McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/29 "2003-06-24T20:51:44Z")
I concur with **Jonathan Chance**. Sue the bastards. You’d be striking a blow for considerate drivers everywhere, dude. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/30 "2003-06-24T21:02:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boo \* > \*\*This is what I did and it eventually worked, although I didn’t mention the word “bleed.” > > He tried to weazel out of it at first saying I needed a police report and photograph of the truck to prove the load wasn’t secured. I eventually said you have two choices 1) pay for it or 2) we’ll let a small claims court judge decide…and I reminded him the loser pays court costs. He then told me to send the bill to his attention.😉 \*\* One suggestion – send a copy of the bill via registered mail. You’d be surprised how many times the pesky ol’ mail service “loses” those things. ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/31 "2003-06-25T01:26:46Z")
Isn’t there some sort of law that states the only thing allowed to fall off or out of a truck is water and feathers? Maybe it’s only Calif. but I remember discussing this exact thing with an ex-cop not too long ago. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > **And that’s why you sue him (or his company) until his children bleed.** Note to self: never, ever mess with Mister Jonathan Chance.😉 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/32 "2003-06-25T04:53:02Z")
Does anyone else now want to get a sign that reads “This Sign Is Not Responsible”? ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/33 "2003-06-25T08:21:32Z")
Similar disclaimers appear on the backs of tickets at amusement park rides and tickets for parking lots. They print them in the hope that at least some injured parties will believe it and not sue them. A lawyer told me those disclaimers are meaningless. An amusement park operator \*is \*responsible if you get injured on a ride (often even if it’s your fault). And parking lot owners can also be sued (probably with less reliable results) if your car is damaged or burglarized while on their lot. Theaters, too, often have disclaimers on their tickets. But they _can_ be held responsible if you are injured in their theater. Or so I’ve been told. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/34 "2003-06-25T14:10:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Audrey Levins \* > \*\*This is like those signs in shopping centers that tenants put up in front of their businesses that say “Parking For X Store Only. Violators Will Be Towed At Their Own Expense.” > > The thing is, that’s bullshit. When you rent a space in a shopping strip, you don’t rent the parking in front of it, too; anybody who is going into any store in the entire strip has a right to park wherever the hell they want. \*\* Not true, I’m afraid. Some store owners do, in fact, pay extra rent in return for the privilege of “reserving” some of the parking spaces for their clients. If you see such a sign, you can be virtually certain that the store owner has made precisely such an arrangement with the strip mall owner/landlord; if he or she didn’t have that kind of arrangement, the signs wouldn’t be permitted by the mall owner. ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/35 "2003-06-25T14:27:04Z")
I know this isn’t the same thing, **Audrey** , but the agency for which I work rents office space in a highrise and we have several “dedicated” parking spaces in the parking lot (with a “We Will Tow Your Ass” sign placed in front of each of our spots), which is otherwise open to whomever wishes to park there. Usually when someone ignores our signs, my boss will stick a pre-printed nasty note on the winshield. But honey, if he’s in a bad mood, he WILL call the cops and have them come ticket the summabitch. I hear the court fees alone on one of those bad boys is 50 bucks. As for the OP, hurrah! Congrats on getting your money for the winshield! (My fear was that it’d be a case of your word against the truck driver’s word, but it seems like it all worked out. Good for you!) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/36 "2003-06-25T14:56:24Z")
As everyone has said, the sign is total BS any would only be related to debris kicked up off the road (provided he has mud flaps) My brother used to haul gravel and they would duct tape the inside of the tailgate so gravel could not slip out through the cracks. My MIL ran over a concrete block that fell of some idiots truck on a major highway. It gave another person a flat. It was night, she could not avoid it due to other traffic. His response? You where following to close.:rolleyes: State Police can be a good thing.😃 ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/37 "2003-06-25T15:02:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BadBaby \* > \*\*Note to self: never, ever mess with Mister Jonathan Chance.😉 \*\* Yeah, I wouldn’t… um, chance it if I were you. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/38 "2003-06-25T16:25:07Z")
Can’t be held responsible Cause she was touching her face I won’t be held responsible She fell in love in the first place ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/39 "2003-06-26T12:41:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BadBaby \* > \*\*Note to self: never, ever mess with Mister Jonathan Chance.😉 \*\* You know it, baby. Fear me. ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011/40 "2003-06-26T16:13:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sauron \* > \*\*One suggestion – send a copy of the bill via registered mail. > > You’d be surprised how many times the pesky ol’ mail service “loses” those things. \*\* Good advice, but save yourself a few bucks and make it Certified (proof of delivery), not Registered (items of value). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-responsible-signs/184011.md?page=3)