{"id":2935,"date":"2026-07-09T09:36:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935"},"modified":"2026-07-09T09:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:36:31","slug":"is-it-ok-to-brake-check-if-a-driver-is-following-too-closely-heres-what-sc-law-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935","title":{"rendered":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you\u2019re driving down a South Carolina highway and the driver behind you comes aggressively close.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2933\">Want to earn $200K or more? Check out these open SC state government jobs<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Like tailgating as a message you\u2019re going too slow.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>You just want to tap \u2014 maybe slam \u2014 on your brakes to scare them.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s illegal in South Carolina, as it is in all 50 states in the country.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The legal term is actually reckless driving, and it can bring a significant fine and points off your license.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>And if the person hits you, you can be liable to all sorts of damages, including medical bills, car repair, lost wages, pain and suffering. Felony reckless driving in which someone is injured or dies can bring a prison sentence of five years or more, according to South Carolina law.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But isn\u2019t it always the rear driver\u2019s fault in an accident?<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Nope.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Chappell, Chappell and Newman law firm in Columbia says, \u201cTraditionally, civil courts have held that the rear driver is liable for the resulting damages in a rear-end collision. This rule is based on the notion that drivers are always responsible for allowing sufficient stopping distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But courts in recent years have ruled there are extenuating circumstances.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cColumbia drivers who intentionally engage in brake checking may be required to compensate the other party in the event of a brake-check accident,\u201d the firm said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdditionally, drivers who cause rear-end accidents as part of a scheme to defraud an insurance company may face criminal charges in a South Carolina court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>That can lead to criminal charges.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Civil lawsuits can be filed by the injured party.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a South Carolina personal injury claim, the plaintiff must prove that they were injured by the defendant\u2019s behavior,\u201d the law firm said. That there was negligence on the part of the person who hit the brakes.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Nationwide Insurance says in 2024 20% of rear-end accidents were caused by tailgaters.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2931\">Myrtle Beach area under an \u2018extreme heat\u2019 threat. When will we see relief?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what they say you should do if someone is following too closely.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Stay calm: Keep composed to prevent emotions from getting the best of you and causing a serious accident.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Keep a comfortable distance: Pay attention to the cars around you and if one is tailgating close to you, stay far away.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Let the tailgater pass: If the tailgater is behind you, switch lanes or even pull over to let them pass.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Maintain your speed: Stay consistent with your speed so that other drivers can safely pass if they must. Using cruise control when conditions allow helps keep your speed predictable for you and other drivers.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Nationwide says use the 3-second rule to determine a safe distance between cars.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rule says that when a car in front of you passes any point, you should be able to count to 3 before you cross that same point. The more distance between cars, the more time to react,\u201d the insurance company said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>If the tailgater hits you, all bets are off.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Call law enforcement, collect the necessary information, document everything and then contact your insurance company. That\u2019s a rear-end collision.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2930\">These 5 SC cities sell homes for much cheaper than listing price, study shows. Here\u2019s where<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely in South Carolina? Here\u2019s what SC law says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-carolina"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely in South Carolina? Here\u2019s what SC law says.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-09T09:36:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"headline\":\"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T09:36:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935\"},\"wordCount\":583,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"South Carolina\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935\",\"name\":\"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says - US Moving Experts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T09:36:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2935#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"US Moving Experts\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says - US Moving Experts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says - US Moving Experts","og_description":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely in South Carolina? Here\u2019s what SC law says.","og_url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935","og_site_name":"US Moving Experts","article_published_time":"2026-07-09T09:36:31+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"headline":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says","datePublished":"2026-07-09T09:36:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935"},"wordCount":583,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png","articleSection":["South Carolina"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935","name":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says - US Moving Experts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png","datePublished":"2026-07-09T09:36:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d9a5f99d5e2225dc4b9fefeda541634d.png","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2935#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is it OK to brake check if a driver is following too closely? Here\u2019s what SC law says"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/","name":"US Moving Experts","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}