When you think about the types of injuries that people suffer from car accidents, it’s hard to think of why anyone might want to stage an automobile accident. The truth is, auto accident fraud and Staged Car Accident are more common than you might think because criminals believe they can make money suing or even just threatening to sue innocent individuals.
It’s important to know what these scams are and how to avoid them so that you don’t end up injured and having to defend yourself against a false lawsuit.
Why Are Car Accidents Staged?
The primary goal when a person stages a car accident is to get another person to hit them and then collect by suing their insurance company. Insurance carriers can be quite forceful, and even the threat of a lawsuit is oftentimes enough to strongarm the victim into paying for the responsible driver’s damages.
Scammers may use a number of methods to create a situation that results in a collision. In many cases, the crash will deceptively appear to be the victim’s fault. Some examples of this include:
- The squat and swoop: One vehicle gets in front of the potential victim, before a second vehicle then quickly “swoops” in front of the first vehicle and hits their brakes. The goal is to get the victim to rear-end the car in front of them, while the accomplice vehicle quickly speeds away. The occupants of the car that was rear-ended will claim that the victim was driving aggressively and hit them from behind – conveniently neglecting to mention the other vehicle that directly caused the crash.
- The drive down: At a four-way stop or other intersection, a scammer in a car will indicate that they are conceding the right-of-way to the victim. For example, someone may wave you through an intersection, even though they arrived at it first and have the right-of-way to drive through. When the victim enters the intersection, the scammer will speed up and hit the victim’s car. The scammer will then claim that the victim cut them off or was speeding.
- Stopping short: During this scam, a driver will abruptly brake-check the car behind them for no reason. The scammer’s goal is to get the car behind them to strike their vehicle, so they can claim that the victim was tailgating and caused the crash.
Who is Most Likely To Be Targeted?
Because the ultimate goal of these scams is to get as much money as possible, certain people and vehicles are targeted more frequently than others.
Usually, new vehicles are targeted more highly because they are more likely to be insured. This also occurs with rental vehicles, and commercial vehicles which tend to have better insurance than regular civilian vehicles.
Besides specific vehicles, scammers are more likely to target women and elderly drivers for these types of scams because of a lower risk of conflict when committing the scam.
How to a Avoid a Staged Car Accident Scam
It’s hard to know what other people are going to do when they are on the road, but you can take steps to keep yourself safe and out of the way of scammers and people trying to cause a fake accident.
The first thing to realize is that certain areas are more prone for these types of accidents to occur. When you’re getting off the freeway is a prime spot for a drive down, red lights and intersections are places where a sudden stop or a swoop and squat can occur. Knowing this, it helps you to be more vigilant when on the road.
If you notice a vehicle not braking properly when approaching a red light, this can be a sign that they plan to stop at the last minute. Give yourself extra time by slowing down early or getting in a different lane from the vehicle in question. In short, drive defensively, watch your surroundings and be prepared to react to a situation quickly to avoid an unnecessary collision and you’ll never be a victim of a staged accident. Make sure to visit our Automotive news section for more great content.
