What constitutes negligence per se?

Negligence per se occurs when a defendant violates a statute or regulation that is designed to protect a specific class of people from harm, and that violation results in injury to a member of that class. In this context, the correct choice specifically highlights that a criminal or regulatory statute imposes a specific duty, which is fundamental to establishing negligence per se.

When a law is designed to protect public safety, and a party fails to comply with that law, the failure can be sufficient to establish negligence without the need to show that the defendant acted unreasonably in the particular circumstances. Essentially, the act of violating the statute itself fulfills the requirement of a breach of duty.

The key components that make this concept applicable include the statute having a safety-related purpose and the injury resulting directly from the violation of that statute, demonstrating that the plaintiff falls into the class of individuals the statute was meant to protect. Under these conditions, the violation serves as a proxy for demonstrating that the standard of care owed to the plaintiff was breached.

Other options presented do not accurately capture the definition or circumstances under which negligence per se operates. Specifically, a violation of a statute not related to safety does not support a claim for negligence per se, nor does an absence of wrongdoing or relying solely