Law on brake checking someone

JustAnotherSaver

What's the law on this? Is it only worth reporting someone who causes an actual accident through brake checking or can people end up in bother for brake checking that doesn't lead to an accident?


Bit of brackground - someone pulled out late on me, we were approaching traffic, he jams the brakes twice in quick succession before then slowing for the traffic ahead. He's leaning out of the window looking in my direction. I then turn off at the next junction about 100yds down to detour home as i don't want to get involved with this guy.


Dash cam doesn't seem to catch him leaning out the window looking back at me but does catch him brake checking / braking for no reason.

TonyMMM

It would fall under the scope of Without Due Care/Careless/Inconsiderate driving which are all under s3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The test being that the persons driving fell below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.

JustAnotherSaver

TonyMMM wrote: »

It would fall under the scope of Without Due Care/Careless/Inconsiderate driving which are all under s3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The test being that the persons driving fell below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.

Question is, is it worth reporting such an incident, or are the police only interested when brake checking leads to a collision and not when someone is just trying it on?


I know the flipside will be asked/said of me - was i leaving ample space/did i tailgate.
This chap pulled out on me late. I slowed down & we were approaching traffic. I'd have been closer than if we were on the motorway. He clearly wasn't in the best of moods & hit the brake twice before leaning out the window which caused him to then have to swerve to avoid a parked vehicle on his left.

So no i don't believe i did anything wrong. Looking back yes i could've hit the brakes harder and kept even more distance than i did but then my crystal ball wasn't working at the time and i didn't know this guy would be an idiot.



The type of guy who would step out in front of you as you drive, his can of Carling in hand and when you beep him he shouts obscenities at you and kicks your bumper...because it was YOUR fault.

Ectophile

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

The type of guy who would step out in front of you as you drive, his can of Carling in hand and when you beep him he shouts obscenities at you and kicks your bumper...because it was YOUR fault.

Either that, or it was a crash for cash scam that failed when you didn't run in the back of him.

Mercdriver

Seriously? Just get on with life.

SHAFT

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

What's the law on this? Is it only worth reporting someone who causes an actual accident through brake checking or can people end up in bother for brake checking that doesn't lead to an accident?


Bit of brackground - someone pulled out late on me, we were approaching traffic, he jams the brakes twice in quick succession before then slowing for the traffic ahead. He's leaning out of the window looking in my direction. I then turn off at the next junction about 100yds down to detour home as i don't want to get involved with this guy.


Dash cam doesn't seem to catch him leaning out the window looking back at me but does catch him brake checking / braking for no reason.

What are hoping to achieve?

Norman_Castle

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

I know the flipside will be asked/said of me - was i leaving ample space/did i tailgate.
This chap pulled out on me late. I slowed down & we were approaching traffic. I'd have been closer than if we were on the motorway. He clearly wasn't in the best of moods & hit the brake twice before leaning out the window which caused him to then have to swerve to avoid a parked vehicle on his left.

So no i don't believe i did anything wrong. Looking back yes i could've hit the brakes harder and kept even more distance than i did but then my crystal ball wasn't working at the time and i didn't know this guy would be an idiot.

How close do you drive on a motorway?
Next time this happens you will know drivers who pull out when they shouldn't are likely to be idiots who are often keen to have an argument. Don't indulge them by tailgating.

neilmcl

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

What's the law on this? Is it only worth reporting someone who causes an actual accident through brake checking or can people end up in bother for brake checking that doesn't lead to an accident?


Bit of brackground - someone pulled out late on me, we were approaching traffic, he jams the brakes twice in quick succession before then slowing for the traffic ahead. He's leaning out of the window looking in my direction. I then turn off at the next junction about 100yds down to detour home as i don't want to get involved with this guy.


Dash cam doesn't seem to catch him leaning out the window looking back at me but does catch him brake checking / braking for no reason.

Sounds like your already did. There's always 2 sides to these tales.

alfie1950

The police won't be remotely interested in this 'non' event .
Nothing happened so get on with your life.
You are supposed to drive at a safe distance so that if the driver in front does an emergency stop you can still stop safely.
You may consider that he pulled out in front of you unwisely but on the other hand he may have considered that you were then tailgating him !
Life's to short to worry about such pointless trivia

JustAnotherSaver

SHAFT wrote: »

What are hoping to achieve?

The guy thinks it's fine to go brake checking people.
If something could be done that'd make him think twice....

Norman_Castle wrote: »

How close do you drive on a motorway?

Not very.
I also sit at 60mph on the motorway which is enough to keep in front of the lorries (except those that have had their limiter removed/increased but then i just put my foot down enough to not hold them up). When overtaking someone doing less i'll get up to 70 before pulling back in on 60mph.


I don't expect anyone to believe that but i'm not that bothered. 1) I don't drive motorways much 2) if i do it's usually to visit the in-laws so i'm in no rush 3) I used to be a 90mph person in my younger days. I get more of a buzz out of a higher MPG figure these days than a higher MPH.

Don't indulge them by tailgating.

I didn't.

neilmcl wrote: »

Sounds like your already did. There's always 2 sides to these tales.

Considering i couldn't teleport out of there, i had no choice but to be behind him, so on that note technically i was involved.

At the earliest opportunity i got out of there so like i said.

alfie1950 wrote: »

The police won't be remotely interested in this 'non' event .
Nothing happened so get on with your life.

Unfortunately my employer takes the same view.


Racking is buckling with tonnes and tonnes sat on it. The base is rusted to hell, uprights are twisted and rusty, cross bars are buckled. The public are allowed to walk around these areas. We ask and ask for replacement racking but get told no.
Besides, nobody has been killed right? Not yet anyway.


Changes only ever seem to get made when the racking collapses and the goods are damaged beyond sale and machinery is broken as a result of goods collapsing on it.



Shame most people react instead of act.

amberhen49

https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/news/dodgy-drivers-warned-well-catch-you-man-fined-brake-test-stunt

West Midlands have an online site where you can submit dashcam footage. Not sure if any other forces have a similar thing.