It gets very annoying when you have a car or truck tailing behind you and almost hitting your dashboard.
It is okay If you are irritated, but brake checking shouldn’t be the next option.
Brake checking is done by reckless, aggressive, and retarded drivers.
Of course, you are not one.
What then do we call brake checking?
Brake checking is a situation whereby you deliberately stepped on the brake to make the driver tailgating almost causing a rear-end collision.
Most drivers have different reasons for brake checking and so, that makes it not all illegal.
For some drivers, they break check because they want to test if their brake is still working after a long journey.
For other drivers, they break check at the start of a journey.
They check if the brake pad is working perfectly to avoid the case of a fatal accident.
For some drivers, they break check because the driver behind is tailing them closely including the time they swerve into another lane, or because the driver in front of them is invading their space.
This behavior is often exhibited by school kids.
Often, they see it as an avenue to get revenge on their school mate or just do it for fun.
Either way, it is very dangerous and can cause a very fatal accident.
In a situation whereby a driver is tailgating you, it might be because you swerved into his lane and then he gets irritated making him brake check you.
Even if you stop at a red light, it is still called brake checking.
For the case of a driver who wants to check if the brake pad is still working, it should be done in a controlled environment; a place where there aren’t cars or trucks you can ram into or that will ram into your car.
It is not advisable to do brake checking in a busy environment.
It threatens the safety of road users.
If you don’t have any other option but to brake check, there is a safe way of doing so, without causing collisions.
Tap lightly to flash the brake lights and take your foot off the accelerator and then the driver tailgating you can drive past.
What should you do if you find yourself in a brake checking accident?
Accidents are not planned willingly, they are unplanned events that may cause injury, damage to property, or even death.
Listed below are the steps to take when a brake check accident occurs.
- Stay calm and collected — This is not the time that you shout or yell in fury.This is not the time you will let hell break loose just because someone rammed into your car.Even if the other person is shouting, keep calm and stay cool.
Settle your brain so that you can analyze the situation.
- Contact any law enforcement agency — Call 911 to inform them of the accident and if there is a case of injury, call an ambulance.The problem will easily be solved with a law enforcement agent around.
- Do not admit fault — Do not admit to anything yet, your partner shouldn’t do that either.Let the police come and analyze the situation.They will check the nearby cam footage, ask any eyewitness, and then file a report.
This way, they will point out who is at fault.
- Gather enough information — Ensure you know enough information about how the accident occurs. Document how the crash happened, ask eyewitnesses for their verdict and document the police report.Contact an experienced auto crash attorney who will justify your claims.
Hope this gives you a better understanding of brake checking.
Leave comments should you have any questions to this effect.