Is hitting the brakes bad for your vehicle?

When someone pulls out in front of you in California, slamming your brakes might be your first instinct. However, slamming your brakes could damage your brakes, wear down your tires and even cause an accident. You could go off the road or crash into another vehicle, turning a split-second decision into a catastrophe.

What happens when you slam your brakes?

If you slam the brakes when the roads are slick, your vehicle might slide off the road and hit the guardrail or plunge into a ditch. Worse still, you could hit another vehicle and cause a car accident. Slamming your brakes also jerks your passengers forward, which could cause whiplash and other injuries. A passenger could fly out of their seat if they aren’t wearing their seatbelt.

Slamming the brakes also causes unnecessary wear and tear on your vehicle. When your car skids, your wheels don’t move, causing the bottom of your tires to stay attached to the pavement. This causes extra wear on your tires and might even produce a flat spot. Additionally, hitting the brakes creates extra pressure that can damage the hoses and brake pads. You might not get into an accident this time, but the damage to your vehicle could cause an issue later.

What types of accidents could occur?

If you hit the brakes, you might hit an obstacle and end up in a single-person accident. However, if another person hits their brakes, they could slide out of control and ram into your vehicle. They could also hit your vehicle from behind or cause a collision by stopping unexpectedly.

You might be entitled to compensation if another person gets you involved in a multi-car accident. This includes cars as well as trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and even boats. Pedestrian accidents are particularly serious and might come with high compensation.