From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontributory negligenceconˌtributory ˈnegligence noun [uncountable] law SCLfailure to take enough care to avoid or prevent an accident, so that you are partly responsible for any loss or damage caused
Examples from the Corpus
contributory negligence• If Brian sued John for negligence he could be met with the defences of volenti non fit injuria and contributory negligence.• If the plaintiff was thrown forwards and injured, then clearly failure to wear a seat belt is contributory negligence.• Lord Denning stated: A very young child can not be guilty of contributory negligence.• In most states, courts hold that very young children are incapable of contributory negligence.• If it is, then Chartist may attempt to raise volenti non fit injuria or contributory negligence as defences.• The younger the student, the more difficult it is to prove contributory negligence.• This was also the case where contributory negligence was established before 1945.From Longman Business Dictionarycontributory negligenceconˌtributory ˈnegligenceLAW when the injuries suffered by someone were partly caused by their own carelessness. A court can reduce the amount of DAMAGES which an injured person receives if the accident involved contributory negligenceThe plaintiff’s damages were reduced for his contributory negligence in riding with a drunken driver and failing to wear a seat belt. → negligence 