CHP Q&A

If you are being tailgated so close that reading the license plate on the car behind you is impossible and you have to slam on your brakes who is at fault for a possible rear-end collision?

Rear end collisions are generally the fault of the vehicle following.

Rear end collisions that result from being “brake checked” are not accidents. They result from an intentional act, and can lead to an arrest.

What do you mean by brake checked?

People do it all the time RSG. They have someone close on their tail and purposely slam on their brakes to get them to back off.

I'm embarrassed to say that I have done it myself. Not a hard brake so they cream your car, but kind of a warning that you see them, and want them to back off. (I actually am more of a danger to myself if I'm constantly worried how close the car tailgating me is, so when it happens now, I either put on my hazard's briefly, then my blinker to show the ass that I know he wants to pass, but I'm going to wait for a decent turn out. I'm a pretty fast driver, so when it happens, I'm going too fast to turn out into the dirt.)

I make sure to slow for them when passing is safe and possible. And in passing lanes I make sure that if I can't pass the slower car easily, I get into the slow lane so any potential tailgater won't be on my ass. It's VERY distracting. I usually don't get pissed until someone passes 3 viable turn outs, and still never uses one (in clear weather of course) . Then my blood starts to get a bit warm .

Thanks KB, wasn't sure on what that meant. Why on earth would someone want to be hit from behind on purpose and possibly be hurt?

Because some folks are too stupid to think for one minute that anyone would actually rear end them. In the same breath why would anyone want to piss off someone obviously in a hurry by refusing to pull over or tap on your brakes? This kind of behavior is exactly where the term " Road Rage" comes from.

? In my opinion...anyone who would intentionally tailgate and/or rear end someone is the stupid party. It isn't always possible to turn-out immediately to let someone pass...especially when they are blinding you with their headlights as the bully's tend to do.

My daughter is a brand new driver. We were driving over to Staters in Arrowhead the other night & this "A" hole was so close we couldnt see his plates. There were several cars in front of US, So I really don't know how fast he expected us to go! I told her to just ignore him, because there really was nothing else for her to do. Some people are just jerks.

I don't move out of the way until I can see past the car in back for safety, and I can't see around a car that has crept so far up my tailgate that his plates and headlights aren't visible. Tough luck, buddy -- back off or suffer doing the speed limit!

...I don't brake checked anyone....however, if someone is following too close I simply turn my lights on...the idiot behind me sees the red and backs off....works every time.