Staged Accidents: Targeting Innocent Drivers
In recent years, organized crime has become more and more involved, bringing with it ever more sophisticated types of fraud. The most recent trend is towards staged or “caused” accidents involving innocent people – a major concern as these frauds are dangerous.
Orchestrated by criminals who plan on claiming false injuries to get replaced income and other financial benefits from insurance companies, staged accidents place law-abiding citizens in dangerous situations.
Scenarios include:
Swoop and Squat – Two vehicles work together to set up an innocent driver. One vehicle pulls in front of the targeted vehicle, the other alongside. When the front driver stops short, the innocent driver has no choice but to rear end the front vehicle as he or she is blocked in.
Left Turn Acceleration – The innocent driver believes there is ample time to make a left hand turn. When they make the turn, the criminal in the oncoming car accelerates to hit the innocent driver who is making the turn.
Wave and Hit - The criminal waves to an innocent driver, encouraging him or her to merge or change lanes. Rather than yielding, the criminal deliberately hits the targeted car, later denying they signalled to the innocent driver.
Sideswiping - Occurring mostly in intersections with two left-turn lanes, the targeted driver is sideswiped by the criminal who later claims the innocent driver is the one who crossed over the line while turning.
Criminals involved in these organized rings often hire witnesses to corroborate their stories and provide false documentation to support their claims.
Tips to avoid being a victim of organized collisions:
- Leave significant space between you and the vehicle ahead in case they suddenly slam on the brakes.
- Be wary when someone waves you in to merge or change lanes as they may be setting you up for a collision.
- Exercise extra caution when making a left hand turn, knowing the oncoming car - seemingly far away - could accelerate and hit you.
- Stay well into your own lane when making double lane left hand turns to avoid being sideswiped by the car next to you.
Our Position on Insurance Fraud
They Cheat. We All Pay.
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