Driving is stressful sometimes, or you may have a lot going on in your day that might cause you to drive differently. It is important to stay calm and in control while driving, but sometimes someone might do something to cause you to get angry. This can lead to road rage.
In this article, we will talk about a common form of road rage, and that is brake checking. We will discuss what brake testing is, why people do it, and also how to avoid it.
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First, we will look at what brake checking is. Sometimes people call brake checking, brake testing, but they are both the same thing. Brake checking or testing is the act of slamming on your brakes in order to get a reaction from the person behind you.
This is a really simple definition, but it sums it up. Basically, brake checking is slamming on your brakes harder than you need to in a particular situation. Sometimes people will just slam on their brakes out of the blue when they do not need to slow down. This is the most common form of brake checking.
So the next question is why brake check someone? Well, there are a verity or reasons why someone might brake check someone. The most common is that the person in front of you thinks you are following them too closely which is called tailgating and wants to get your attention so you back off of them. It is important as the car behind to always keep a safe following distance because you never know when someone might need to brake hard legitimately and if you are following too close you might hit them.
Another reason for brake testing is if you did something to a drive and made them mad. This might be that you turned in front of them or cut them off. You may not have done anything wrong, and some people get angry for no reason, but an angry person may brake check you to try to get back at you. You can normally have warned that this kind of brake checking is going to happen. That is because the driver from behind may speed up to pass you and then get right back in front of you. If they do that watch out because they might be planning to brake check you. Also, if you see someone shouting at you or giving you the finger or other gesture, and then they get in front of you it is a safe bet that they might be wanting to brake check you. If this happens to be ready to hit your brakes or back off from them.
The last reason why someone might brake check you is because they might want insurance money. Normally in most places, if you rear-end someone, you are the one considered at fault for not having proper control of your vehicle. This means that the person may not be mad at you, but just in need for some money and might try to brake check you in hopes that you hit them so that you can get the money. There are a couple of ways to avoid this. The first is obvious to keep a safe following distance. The second way you might be able to avoid fault though is to have a dash cam. This way you can show that they brake checked you and that you shouldn’t be held at fault.
When do brake check, you also use best car diagnostic tool to check your car to make sure it work correctly.
So, now that you know what brake checking is and why people might do it we will touch on the question of should you brake check someone? The answer to this is no. You should never brake test someone no matter how closely they are riding your butt. This is because the wreck you might cause could end up worse than you were planning. Also, brake checking someone will make them mad and not get them off your butt, but instead cause them to ride it more or pass you and brake check you. Vehicles are dangerous, and it is important to drive safely. Avoiding all possible road rage is key, and when you are driving, you need to keep your cool even if the other drivers around you aren’t.
If you have someone tailgating you and you have the urge to brake check them, then just pull over and let them around. You can get their license plate and report them if they upset you that much. If you have someone that brake checks you, then you can also report them with their license plate, but you can also back off. The key to avoiding getting brake checked is to practice safe following distances and follow the rules of the road. Sometimes though you just can’t avoid people having a bad day though and that is why it is always important to pay attention while driving in case you get brake checked.
Now you know what brake checking is. You know that it is when someone slams on their brakes for no apparent reason. They normally do have a reason though, but it is not related to the driving going on. Brake checking normally happens out of anger because they are thinking you are following to close or you cut them off, but sometimes it is just done to get the insurance money. Now you know some ways to avoid brake checking though. You know that you need to pay attention at all times when driving and also to keep a safe following distance to avoid wrecks. If you do get brake checked though and wrecked a dash cam can help the blame not be on you. Also, now you know that you should not brake check people and you know what to do if you have the urge to brake check someone or if you were brake checked. After reading this, you now know all you need to know about brake checking so the next time you are in a situation with brake checking you will be familiar with it or if you hear someone talk about brake testing you know what it is.
