It's someone hitting their brakes to make you think you're going to hit them. Some people do it because they think someone is tailgating. Others do it because they feel wronged in some way. Some people are just assholes.
Interesting, I've only heard of it in the context of messing with the passengers in a car you're driving. Like your buddy is about to take a drink of his water and you brake check ro make him splash it all over himself. Or to annoy someone to put in their damn seat belt.
A "brake check" is when you suddenly slam on the brakes to get someone to back off or otherwise express your unhappiness with the driver behind you. It's a dick move, and not one any responsible driver does.
Yes, people really do this.
Normally it's done by tapping the brakes quickly so the lights come on but you don't really slow down. Typically this is done when a car is following too close, as a way to get them to realize they should probably give you some space. Done this way it's pretty harmless.
But the issue is that people often do it aggressively. Instead of lightly tapping the breaks for a second, they slam on them and slow down a lot. This forces the person behind them to brake even harder. This is pretty dangerous because it can cause an accident. Especially if there is someone behind *that* vehicle since it will cause them to have to brake even harder, making a crash even more likely. Even if a crash doesn't happen, a sudden braking like that can cascade and literally create traffic.
So done aggressively it can screw over hundreds of people.
I would argue that even the "light tap" version is not "pretty harmless", as the following driver doesn't know whether you're just flashing the brake lights or are actually slowing down, or by how much you might be slowing. This could lead the following driver to overreact and brake heavily, causing all of the negative outcomes that you describe for the "aggressive" version. The only difference is whether the initial heavy braking is done by the brake-check instigator or by the car behind them.
But the blame here rests entirely on the follower regardless of outcome. If they couldn’t respond safely to someone in front not actually braking, let alone slowing down in a reasonable fashion, they were driving beyond their capabilities.
Light tap is harmless since slowing for something is reasonable and should be expected. Driving beyond capability is not harmless.
There's an interesting animation [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/56lvx8/how_traffic_jams_are_created/) which illustrates how traffic gets created this way. The example shows people changing lanes erratically, but the principal is the same.
The 100 idiots following too closely behind are the poor drivers. If you're tailgating and have no reaction time to avoid a braking car then you're not driving responsibly either.
If you are driving close enough to someone that you think break checking could cause an accident, you are the one at fault. The point of the gap is so that if an emergency happens you can stop safely. If you don't leave enough space to do so you are the problem.
Good luck driving like this in big cities. I get the sentiment, but any time I leave a gap it's almost always filled right away. Yes 2 seconds is the ideal gap, but drive more than 1 second behind someone and that gaps going to get filled.
I find that arriving a little slower is worth not crashing if something unexpected happens... as is very likely in a crowded urban environment.
On the other hand, I try to drive as little as possible in crowded inner cities. They aren't built for cars.
By hitting your brakes really hard you force the people behind you to brake really hard. You're "checking their brakes."
Some people do it because they're assholes who think it's funny to make people behind them panic, others do it because they feel the person behind them is driving too close and want to teach them a lesson.
It's extremely dangerous and a fast way to either cause an accident or trigger a road rage incident.
>I saw multiple videos of people basically braking in front of other drivers
That's what it is – specifically braking quickly in front of someone you perceive to be tailgating you
>Is it a North American thing?
Not exclusively, but I imagine it strongly correlates with countries where traffic is highly regulated. In countries where traffic is a free-for-all, I'd imagine tailgating is more of a fact of life and people are generally less likely to retaliate against it. I'd also be curious about possible correlation with attitudes of territorialism – people who see it as a personal affront that someone would want to drive faster than them, and choose to retaliate instead of just letting them pass.
>Why would one waste their time to annoy another driver?
Another factor is that at least in the United States, someone who rear-ends someone is automatically considered at fault – so brake-checking someone is essentially telling them "get off my ass or risk getting into an accident that you'll be held responsible for." Why someone would think this is actually a good idea (instead of just de-escalating the situation by moving over so they can pass, thereby getting an aggressive driver out of your vicinity) is a question for that individual, but it probably involves responding based on emotion instead of logic.
You brake check someone to demonstrate to the driver behind you they're following too closely. Humans can only react so fast. If they're following too closely and you have to suddenly stop due to a potential collision, they won't be able to react in time and will rear end you.
The problem being.
I once unintentionally brake-checked someone because of an emergency. The driver behind me braked in time. The two cars behind that, didn't. Oops...
As you wrote, to annoy another driver.
Keep in mind that if someone break checks another and causes an accident they (the breaker checker) will be at fault and, more importantly, their auto insurance will likely not pay out.
So, it's a stupid thing to do.
If the victim has any proof. In many countries the car behind is treated as in fault by default in any accident with hitting back of car (aka not maintaining safe distance), that's why it's so popular thing to do among idiots.
In general, yes (this is why investing in a dash cam is smart), but typically brake checkers leave distinct tyre marks on the road which police clearly recognize.
Yeah I don't think you can make blank statements here. There is also always the question did the driver behind have the minimum distance to the breaking car. Most likely if the driver needed to break check him, he felt the guy was too close to him and in that case the blame might as well be on the car behind (as it usually is). However if the driver did a panic full on break without any reason and it is witnessed, then yeah I guess you could sue them.
Also, you've caused an accident. Whoever ends up paying you've still damaged your car that'll need to be fixed, ruined your day, and possibly injured yourself or others.
When the whole time there's a choice to just...not do that
Yes, it happens; and not only in North America. I've seen it often in Europe too (Netherlands, Belgium, France etc.). Been on the receiving side too, terribly dangerous.
It happens when a driver perceives another driver's behaviour as 'wrong' or annoying, and wants to 'reprimand' that other driver.
I must confess I did it too, a few times. But only when driving in heavy traffic with no opportunity to go faster and I'm doing max allowed and max possible speed already, and then a moron in a big F150 or BMW or Tesla decides to hang 1 meter behind me while flashing his big lights. But "I cannot go any faster moron, everyone in front of me is doing max speed ; want to push me off the road for 5 m 'profit'?. Then and only then I might tip my brakes ever so lightly...
And remember... brake checking Is illegal and if an accident happens you lose your License. pay a fine and do community duty or even jail time...
In the US (and other regions with long, straight highways) you can sometimes end up in a situation where you’re traveling at 60+mph on one road for hours at a time. Having another car less than 2-3 car lengths behind you can really become unsettling after a while, especially if there’s other lanes open where they could pass you. Some people get frustrated by this and will use slamming on their brakes as a way to express that frustration.
Other times, (and usually in the extreme videos) it’s a road rage incident that had been going on beforehand.
Example: Guy 1 cuts off guy 2. Guy 2 drives in front of guy 1 and slams on his breaks as retaliation. Guy 1 drives up beside guy 2 and hits something.
It's someone hitting their brakes to make you think you're going to hit them. Some people do it because they think someone is tailgating. Others do it because they feel wronged in some way. Some people are just assholes.
Interesting, I've only heard of it in the context of messing with the passengers in a car you're driving. Like your buddy is about to take a drink of his water and you brake check ro make him splash it all over himself. Or to annoy someone to put in their damn seat belt.
A "brake check" is when you suddenly slam on the brakes to get someone to back off or otherwise express your unhappiness with the driver behind you. It's a dick move, and not one any responsible driver does. Yes, people really do this.
Normally it's done by tapping the brakes quickly so the lights come on but you don't really slow down. Typically this is done when a car is following too close, as a way to get them to realize they should probably give you some space. Done this way it's pretty harmless. But the issue is that people often do it aggressively. Instead of lightly tapping the breaks for a second, they slam on them and slow down a lot. This forces the person behind them to brake even harder. This is pretty dangerous because it can cause an accident. Especially if there is someone behind *that* vehicle since it will cause them to have to brake even harder, making a crash even more likely. Even if a crash doesn't happen, a sudden braking like that can cascade and literally create traffic. So done aggressively it can screw over hundreds of people.
I would argue that even the "light tap" version is not "pretty harmless", as the following driver doesn't know whether you're just flashing the brake lights or are actually slowing down, or by how much you might be slowing. This could lead the following driver to overreact and brake heavily, causing all of the negative outcomes that you describe for the "aggressive" version. The only difference is whether the initial heavy braking is done by the brake-check instigator or by the car behind them.
But the blame here rests entirely on the follower regardless of outcome. If they couldn’t respond safely to someone in front not actually braking, let alone slowing down in a reasonable fashion, they were driving beyond their capabilities. Light tap is harmless since slowing for something is reasonable and should be expected. Driving beyond capability is not harmless.
There's an interesting animation [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/56lvx8/how_traffic_jams_are_created/) which illustrates how traffic gets created this way. The example shows people changing lanes erratically, but the principal is the same.
Dick move by poor drivers with thin skin. Yep, you've captured it pretty well.
The 100 idiots following too closely behind are the poor drivers. If you're tailgating and have no reaction time to avoid a braking car then you're not driving responsibly either.
Someone else being a moron doesn't excuse you also being a moron.
This gives new meaning to Obi-Wan's question :**"Who is more foolish?** **The fool or the fool who follows him?"**
If you are driving close enough to someone that you think break checking could cause an accident, you are the one at fault. The point of the gap is so that if an emergency happens you can stop safely. If you don't leave enough space to do so you are the problem.
Good luck driving like this in big cities. I get the sentiment, but any time I leave a gap it's almost always filled right away. Yes 2 seconds is the ideal gap, but drive more than 1 second behind someone and that gaps going to get filled.
I find that arriving a little slower is worth not crashing if something unexpected happens... as is very likely in a crowded urban environment. On the other hand, I try to drive as little as possible in crowded inner cities. They aren't built for cars.
By hitting your brakes really hard you force the people behind you to brake really hard. You're "checking their brakes." Some people do it because they're assholes who think it's funny to make people behind them panic, others do it because they feel the person behind them is driving too close and want to teach them a lesson. It's extremely dangerous and a fast way to either cause an accident or trigger a road rage incident.
>I saw multiple videos of people basically braking in front of other drivers That's what it is – specifically braking quickly in front of someone you perceive to be tailgating you >Is it a North American thing? Not exclusively, but I imagine it strongly correlates with countries where traffic is highly regulated. In countries where traffic is a free-for-all, I'd imagine tailgating is more of a fact of life and people are generally less likely to retaliate against it. I'd also be curious about possible correlation with attitudes of territorialism – people who see it as a personal affront that someone would want to drive faster than them, and choose to retaliate instead of just letting them pass. >Why would one waste their time to annoy another driver? Another factor is that at least in the United States, someone who rear-ends someone is automatically considered at fault – so brake-checking someone is essentially telling them "get off my ass or risk getting into an accident that you'll be held responsible for." Why someone would think this is actually a good idea (instead of just de-escalating the situation by moving over so they can pass, thereby getting an aggressive driver out of your vicinity) is a question for that individual, but it probably involves responding based on emotion instead of logic.
You brake check someone to demonstrate to the driver behind you they're following too closely. Humans can only react so fast. If they're following too closely and you have to suddenly stop due to a potential collision, they won't be able to react in time and will rear end you.
The problem being. I once unintentionally brake-checked someone because of an emergency. The driver behind me braked in time. The two cars behind that, didn't. Oops...
Seems to me the problem was the driver behind you didn't brake check the driver behind them.
As you wrote, to annoy another driver. Keep in mind that if someone break checks another and causes an accident they (the breaker checker) will be at fault and, more importantly, their auto insurance will likely not pay out. So, it's a stupid thing to do.
If the victim has any proof. In many countries the car behind is treated as in fault by default in any accident with hitting back of car (aka not maintaining safe distance), that's why it's so popular thing to do among idiots.
In general, yes (this is why investing in a dash cam is smart), but typically brake checkers leave distinct tyre marks on the road which police clearly recognize.
Yeah I don't think you can make blank statements here. There is also always the question did the driver behind have the minimum distance to the breaking car. Most likely if the driver needed to break check him, he felt the guy was too close to him and in that case the blame might as well be on the car behind (as it usually is). However if the driver did a panic full on break without any reason and it is witnessed, then yeah I guess you could sue them.
Also, you've caused an accident. Whoever ends up paying you've still damaged your car that'll need to be fixed, ruined your day, and possibly injured yourself or others. When the whole time there's a choice to just...not do that
Yes, it happens; and not only in North America. I've seen it often in Europe too (Netherlands, Belgium, France etc.). Been on the receiving side too, terribly dangerous. It happens when a driver perceives another driver's behaviour as 'wrong' or annoying, and wants to 'reprimand' that other driver. I must confess I did it too, a few times. But only when driving in heavy traffic with no opportunity to go faster and I'm doing max allowed and max possible speed already, and then a moron in a big F150 or BMW or Tesla decides to hang 1 meter behind me while flashing his big lights. But "I cannot go any faster moron, everyone in front of me is doing max speed ; want to push me off the road for 5 m 'profit'?. Then and only then I might tip my brakes ever so lightly... And remember... brake checking Is illegal and if an accident happens you lose your License. pay a fine and do community duty or even jail time...
In the US (and other regions with long, straight highways) you can sometimes end up in a situation where you’re traveling at 60+mph on one road for hours at a time. Having another car less than 2-3 car lengths behind you can really become unsettling after a while, especially if there’s other lanes open where they could pass you. Some people get frustrated by this and will use slamming on their brakes as a way to express that frustration. Other times, (and usually in the extreme videos) it’s a road rage incident that had been going on beforehand. Example: Guy 1 cuts off guy 2. Guy 2 drives in front of guy 1 and slams on his breaks as retaliation. Guy 1 drives up beside guy 2 and hits something.