When I was reading about traffic accidents in my area throughout recent years, I noticed that the term brake checking, or brake check, was mentioned a lot. Since this seemed like a dangerous activity, I decided to do some research and educate myself on the topic for future reference.
What is brake checking? Brake checking is the act of abruptly pushing on your brakes while another car is following you closely behind, on purpose. The act of brake checking is usually to spite the other driver, causing them to swerve out of the way, push on their own brakes, or even crash into the back of your car.
It can also be intended as a signal to tell the same driver behind you to get off your tail, although it is not a very friendly one to say the least.
While driving on the highway, you might have experienced brake checking in one way or another. Whether it was done to you or you witnessed it happening to someone else beside you on the freeway, everyone is likely to come across this kind of scenario at some point.
Brake checking is a very common occurrence amongst drivers, but it is also a very dangerous one. To find out more information about brake checking, keep reading the contents of this article to learn all about it.
What Is Brake Checking?
The concept of brake checking is a form of road rage that is very commonly seen out on the roads amongst drivers. There are many reasons why this happens to all types of people, but for now we will start with an explanation of what brake checking actually consists of.
Brake Checking:
- Form of road rage
- Pushing on the brakes quickly
- Not a complete stop
- Usually done in populated areas when another driver is following closely behind
- Driver performing brake check is normally angry with a situation that involves another driver on the road
When a driver performs a brake check, it is not exactly what it sounds like in the name. Instead of actually testing the quality of the brakes in a car, a driver who brake checks another person will push on their brakes quickly on purpose, in order to spite the other driver.
They will not come to a complete stop, and only place an abrupt tap onto the brakes before they continue to drive along their path.
This will usually be done in populated areas when another driver is following closely behind the first one. The driver in front who brake checks the other is normally angry with the driving situation, and might even pass the other person to do this on purpose.
Why Is Brake Checking Done?
To give you a further look into the concept of brake checking, we will be highlighting some of the main reasons why this action is carried out by drivers on the road. Take a look at the list down below for an idea on what some of their motives usually are.
Reasons For Brake Checking:
- Sending a signal to another driver to get off the tail
- Startling the other driver and prompting them to slam on their brakes
- Cause headaches to another driver, making them swerve out of the way
- Purposefully getting into a crash with another driver
The first reason for brake checking is to send a single to another driver to stop driving so closely. Depending on the situation, the motive could run much deeper than a quick impolite warning.
The driver in the front could want the other driver to be startled and slam on their own brakes, or intend for them to swerve out of the way. In the most extreme circumstances, they might even want to get in a crash with the driver behind them, which is a phenomenon that will be explained in the next section.
Reasons Why You Might Get Brake Checked On The Road
If you have ever been in a situation where someone else brake checked you on the road, you might have wondered why you were being targeted. The list below will outline some of the most common reasons for being brake checked.
Reasons For Being Brake Checked:
- Driver believes you cut them off
- Driver believes you are being aggressive, slow, or made other inconsiderate moves
- Driver is having personal issues
- Driver wants to claim insurance money from a car crash with you (nothing personal usually)
As you can see, brake checking usually occurs as a result of bad or inconsiderate driving. When you anger another person on the road, they might feel inclined to race in front of you and push on their brakes quickly.
If you are not doing any of the above mentioned activities, the driver might just be having some personal issues, or they are trying to get money from an insurance claim. In this case, it is best to do what you can to deal with the situation properly.
How To Deal With Being Brake Checked
Now that you fully understand what brake checking is and why it is usually done, you might be wondering how you can deal with this type of scenario if you ever get into one.
For some tips on how to deal with being brake checked on the road, take a look at the quick outline below, and keep reading for more of the details.
How To Deal With Being Brake Checked:
- Notice the warning signs early
- Keep as much of a distance as possible from the angry driver
- Pull over into a well lit and populated area to avoid confrontation
First and foremost, you should always be paying attention so that you can notice the warning signs early. If another driver is angry at you, you might see them waving their arms at you, yelling, or trying to get in front of you quickly.
When you see any of these tell-tale signs, you should keep as much of a distance as possible from this angry driver.
If the situation gets out of hand, pull over into a well lit and well populated area in order to avoid any dangerous confrontations, in case the driver happens to follow you there.
How To Avoid Being Brake Checked
Instead of waiting to get into a situation where another driver might brake check you, you can take the necessary actions while you are driving in order to avoid this happening to you altogether.
In this section, we will touch on some helpful tips when it comes to avoiding the scenario of being brake checked, no matter where you are driving.
How To Avoid Being Brake Checked:
- Always try to drive safely and considerately
- Don’t ride another driver’s tail
- Keep a few seconds of distance between yourself and other cars
- Follow the speed limit and stay in the appropriate lane
- Keep a camera on your dashboard
First of all, you should always try to drive safely and considerately. Since this is the most common reason why drivers tend to brake check each other, you will most likely be in the clear if you do not make anyone angry.
In addition, do not ride on another driver’s tail to prevent anyone from wanting to do this to you. As a general reference, you should keep a few seconds of distance between yourself and other cars for the quickest stopping time, whether you feel you are about to get brake checked or not.
Follow the speed limit, and avoid driving too fast or too slow. Aside from just following these limits, you should be in the correct lane. For instance, if you are driving ten miles under the speed limit, you should not be in the fast lane! This is a situation where you could get brake checked.
Lastly, keep a camera on the dashboard of your car, facing out into the road. This will help you to catch any evidence that could incriminate an intentional brake checker if it comes to it!
