Different kinds of traffic maneuvers can be very dangerous for the different drivers in the traffic. One of these maneuvers is brake checking. So, what is brake checking? Why do people apply brake checking? You can find the most detailed explanation here.
What is Brake Checking?
Brake checking is a traffic maneuver that when you suddenly apply brakes when there is a car behind you. And this maneuver makes the car behind save the distance from you. And also, it generally causes some accidents because of the sudden panic that is given by the rear car driver.
Why Do People Apply Brake Checking?
There are different reasons why people apply brake checking to the cars behind them. The most important reason to do it, inform the car behind you to leave some space to prevent accidents. But, we are sure that is a very rude and rough way to inform. If the driver behind is a novice driver, it can cause much worse problems and accidents.
Another important reason is the sudden obstacles such as traffic lights or road obstacles that in the front car that apply brake checking. This is not an intended thing. So, it is very important to leave a certain distance in traffic to prevent accidents.
Also, another important reason why people apply it is for the insurance fraud on cars. Because in traffic, every time the hitter from the back is completely faulty. This is because it is the responsibility of the follower to leave the required amount of following distance to decrease the accidents.
Some drivers know this and they apply the brake checking to allow them to hit from their back. And they call the insurance company to check and repair their cars if there is slight damage on their back. So, they managed to take care of the slight repairments for free.
Is Brake Checking Legal?
This is also the question lots of people are asking about. Brake checking is not legal in most states. If you apply brake checking and cause accidents, you are completely faulty side. And your car insurance company must pay the total remedy.
But it is very important to provide that the front driver applied it. It is very hard to prove in general. But if you managed to prove it, you will get the remedy.
How to Prove that You Brake Checked?
There are certain ways that you can follow to prove that you brake checked. These are the general ways that you can follow in general.
- If you have a dash cam, you are so lucky. Because the dash cam footage is direct proof that you brake checked by another driver. And if you add the dash cam footage, you will be able to get the remedy from the other driver’s insurance.
- In traffic, there are different kinds of nearby surveillance cameras to watch the road. And if you are lucky enough, the accident took place where the surveillance cams are recording. They are also very important to prove that you can show that you brake checked.
- Some eyewitnesses are also very important. You need to gather eyewitness statements that the person ahead of you did brake checking on you. This is very solid evidence that you can use in your claim.
What to Do in a Brake Checking Accident?
If you are a victim of a brake-checking accident, you need to be calm and you need to try to gather all the evidence that we explained above.
- The first step is to remain calm every time. You need to have always calm communication with the other driver. Anger will not solve anything. Express that the other driver made a brake check and he or she is on the faulty side.
- After that, you need to eventually contact the law enforcement office. Call 911 if there is an emergency. Explain the to the law enforcement office the accident.
- Never admit the fault even if you do not have the fault. Because if you admit a very slight fault, it will make you the faulty side. You just need to try to gather enough evidence that shows the other driver has the fault. Using a dash cam will be a lifesaver in these situations.
- Take pictures of the car crash. It is very important to gather the important data that you need.
- If you have good traffic insurance, do not forget to go to the hospital. You may have internal wounds that can be very serious for you.
And do not forget that, the faulty side in the accidents can have different law enforcement in different states. Because without leaving the required amount the following distance you may have partial responsibility for the accident. But it will be better to get the minimum responsibility for the car accident that you have.
Brake Checking in Motorsports
Also, brake checking is very common in different Motorsports. They apply the brake checking to harm the other vehicle or make them get the penalties. For example in the accident in the 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel claimed that Hamilton brake-checked him.
Conclusion
So, always refrain from brake checking. It is an illegal thing in most countries in the world. And you can cause very bad accidents because of it. You can use other ways to inform the drivers if they have any faults.
And also you need to save your following distance to prevent accidents in the traffic.
What do you think about brake checking? Leave your thoughts below.
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References
Azerbaijan GP: ‘F1 in 2017 just got nasty – and it’s Sebastian Vettel’s fault’ – BBC
