Children learn so much from their parents, including driving behaviors. Whether you’re dropping your kids off at school or taking a family road trip, your kids are paying attention to your actions. With innocent eyes watching, avoiding brake checking and other dangerous behaviors is vital. 

Brake checking is almost the same as reckless driving and can cause serious accidents. Go over the dangers of brake checking and share them with your children. Also, seek legal support if you or your child is a victim of a brake-checking accident.

Rear-end Collisions

You’re at significant risk of getting hit from behind if you engage in brake-checking behaviors. Trailing motorists might not even have time to slow down before colliding with your vehicle, causing severe injuries for all involved. 

While the rear motorist is usually liable for rear-end collisions, you can be found at fault if you caused the accident by slamming your brakes. 

Suppose the other driver was following too closely behind. In that case, they might be found partially responsible but still eligible to collect damages. Under New Mexico’s pure comparative negligence statute, injured parties can collect compensation if their degree of fault doesn’t exceed 99%.  

Chain Reaction Accidents

Checking your brakes in a high-traffic area, such as the intersection of Montgomery Boulevard and San Mateo Boulevard, can have devastating consequences. Instead of a two-car accident, you could cause a multi-vehicle accident that involves cars, motorcycles, and commercial trucks.  

Chain reaction accidents are hazardous due to the multiple points of collision. This can lead to expensive personal injury claims to cover injuries and property damage. The emotional distress these accidents cause can also increase the damages for pain, suffering, and other non-economic losses. 

Determining fault is more complicated when multiple parties are involved in an accident. A thorough investigation will identify all at-fault parties, starting with the driver who set off the chain reaction by slamming the brakes. 

Loss of Control

Motorists only have a split second to react when someone slams on the brakes. Without thinking, they often swerve off the road or into oncoming traffic. 

You can be held responsible for any injuries motorists incur or cause when swerving to avoid your vehicle. Along with compensating injured parties, you might face criminal charges if you engaged in other reckless behaviors or if someone lost their life in the accident. 

Escalating Reckless Driving Behaviors

Brake checking is often an entry point for additional dangerous and reckless behaviors, especially among younger drivers. Teen driver Cullen Dupree illustrated just how dangerous those behaviors can become after causing a fatal brake-checking accident in 2013.

According to witnesses, Dupree continuously hit his brakes, forcing motorists to make quick stops to avoid accidents. He also weaved in and out of traffic, changed speeds, and blocked lanes before causing a 21-year-old woman to lose control of her vehicle. 

Dupree was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by four years of probation. His sentence could have been much worse had he not been a teenager. Even so, the consequences of his accident will likely follow him forever.

Road Rage Reactions 

You might not think that brake checking is a form of road rage, but others could see it differently. If you slam your brakes, you risk other motorists retaliating in increasingly dangerous or deadly ways. In fact, there have even been reports of brake checking leading to fatal shootings. 

Since teenagers often see brake checking as harmless fun, discussing this with your kids is vital. They need to fully understand the weight of their actions when they’re behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. 

Insurance Issues 

You might have to face some uncomfortable questions from your insurance company after causing a brake-checking accident. Brake checking has long been used to commit insurance fraud. People assume they can blame the other party for hitting them, collecting a tidy sum of money in the process.

On the other hand, someone might cause you to rear-end them so they can defraud your insurance agency. Speak with an attorney if you’ve been involved in a brake-checking accident to ensure you don’t take the blame for someone else’s actions. 

Find Out If You Have a Brake Checking Claim

Are you the victim of a brake-checking accident? You might have a personal injury claim, even if you’re partially responsible for the collision. Consult a car accident attorney to see if you have a claim. If so, your attorney can start the legal process to pursue damages for your losses.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.