Glossary Term
Negligence Per Se
A legal doctrine under Texas common law that establishes negligence as a matter of law when a defendant violates a statute or regulation enacted to protect a class of people from a specific type of harm, and that violation causes the harm the regulation was designed to prevent. In truck accident cases, FMCSA violations — such as exceeding hours-of-service limits or operating with a disqualified driver — are strong candidates for negligence per se. See Perry v. S.N., 973 S.W.2d 301 (Tex. 1998).