AAA sent me this so I thought I would share so all of you are aware. RED FLAGS A 14 POINT CHECKLIST CHARACTERISTICS OF SWOOP AND SQUAT ACCIDENTS FROM THE NEW BOOK: Accident Investigation In The Private Sector: Volume II By Jack Murray Staged accidents are creating huge legal defense fees and are driving up the cost of auto insurance. This is a 14 point checklist of red flags that would be an indicator of a staged accident. These are staged collisions, in which the vehicle in front stops abruptly and the victim driver finds himself responsible for a rear end collision. This type accident will many times exhibit certain characteristics that should serve as red flags to any investigator. 1. The accidents often occur between intersections, in the middle of blocks. 2) Most accidents occur at times other than rush hours when the traffic is not backed up. 3) Statement of the striking vehicle's drivers are usually the same, "the car in front stopped suddenly for no reason." 4) The struck vehicle usually has a several passengers. 5) There are seldom any children in the struck vehicle. 6) The age range of the struck vehicle is between 17 and 40. 7) The damage involved is usually not severe, usually minimal. Yet all occupants of the vehicle claim injuries. 8) The striking vehicle is usually a late model, driven by a middle aged person of affluent appearance. 9) The vehicles driven by the swoop and squatters are older models (anywhere from 10 to 15 years old) 10) The struck vehicles has had tire pressure in the rear tires lowered (Causes more taillight damage and stops more quickly) 11) The struck vehicle frequently has paper tags. 12) The struck vehicle will usually have uninsured, or under insured coverage, even through it has minimum liability as required by law. 13) A check of Insurance Indexes and/or civil records and drivers licenses, shows one of more occupants has a history of similar accidents. 14) There are seldom any eye witnesses.
Many times there will be second car involved that rides the target's rear bumper in order to keep the driver from slowing down to avoid the swoop-&-squat car after it passes both cars and cuts in sharply. Quite a few people have been killed in these staged accidents. That includes a whole carload of people in one bumper-pusher that got hit from behind by a semi when the squat car made it's move. 6 or eight people, I think. Oops.
Other things to look for. The hit car has lots of spare tires or sand bags in the trunk.Mexicans and Orientals seem to like doing this a lot, just ask any cop. Had it happen to me, "Me no speekie English!", then I said, "Let's call the cops!" ZOOM! They were gone.
I got hit on a cycle, destroyed the bike. I was hurting, but grabbed the drivers keys, and held them for the cops. I believe he would have fled the scene otherwise. (Surfer dude) he was digging for his wallet, but never did find his license or ID, so I yanked the keys. (May not be strictly legal, but the cop thought it clever)
And Pennsylvania has a "law" which is sometimes ridiculous, which claims that the vehicle who strikes another from the rear is always at fault. This promotes "brake checking", and the only way to counter this is to steadily remain at a safe distance behind other vehicles. I have personally seen hateful, cranky, evil people routinely drive really slow just to make other people upset, and slam on the brakes to try to get them to cause the accident and be at fault. I always divert course and take another route when I see somebody like this, no matter how late I will be upon arriving at my intended destination. I think it's the weather. I never encountered this in Florida. I have, however encountered a few angry, road-raging lunatics in the south, who would tailgate and be suicidal, but never drive really slow in front and try to cause you to hit them from the rear.
Road rage levels drop when the percentage of guns possible increases. (IE: you are a lot less likely to piss someone off when it is likely they are armed.)
It's amazing that almost all people I see tailgating are women. What is wrong with them, no intelligence about the laws of physics???
As I am the sort to hit the brakes when some a-hole rides my bumper, I tend to stay a good distance back from any car up ahead. I got a lead foot anyway so if you're riding my butt you're just being a douche. The Mr now, he will crawl up someone's tailpipe if they aren't going fast enough to suit him. I keep telling him, babe, you do that to someone like me and you're gonna eat their trunk. I really do want dash cams tho. I had a woman try to back into me at a stop light. The ONLY reason she didn't succeed was she had the same car as me, and so I was all looking at it like duurrr she's got my car! I saw the backup lights come on, no one was behind me, so I backed up faster than she did. She came back almost 2 car lengths before she gave up. And the other day the Mr. had some kid in a brand new Mustang roll back into him at a stop light. The kid got out all WTF and flipping him off. The Mr got out too. The kid quickly scampered back into the car daddy bought him and got out of there.
YTUBE some Russian dashcam vids and you see reasons for them. It's just another form of insurance in my mind. A good investment with the prices down where they are.