Should You Swerve to Avoid a Crash?

When you see an accident about to happen, there is only a split second to take action. Based on the coming collision, vehicle speed, and weather, you may be able to swerve to avoid the crash. But sometimes, swerving can cause an accident.

These are some things to consider when thinking about how to swerve to avoid a car crash. Motor vehicle accident laws are different in every state. You should talk to a local car accident attorney for legal advice about your accident claim.

How Does Car Insurance Treat Swerving Car Accidents?

If you swerve to avoid one accident but cause another, you might be blamed for causing the accident. That driver may keep going if you swerve and run into the fence alongside the road. You will then have to make an insurance claim based on avoiding an accident with a phantom driver. The insurance company may try to deny your personal injury claim because the other driver is never identified. But if you didn’t swerve, the other driver may be at fault for causing the accident.

How Can You Avoid a Car Accident?

You want to avoid injuries in a car accident. But most motorists may only have a few defensive driving options available to quickly avoid an auto accident. If a car suddenly pulls out in front of you, you can hit the brake pedal to avoid colliding with the vehicle. You might have to swerve to avoid a motor vehicle crash if you are going too fast.

If another driver in oncoming traffic crosses the center line, hitting the brakes might not do any good. Your only option may be to swerve over to the side of the road and hope to avoid a car wreck. But before you swerve to avoid a crash, you must know that swerving could put you in greater danger of serious injuries. For example, swerving to avoid a head-on collision could send you off the road in a potentially fatal car accident.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than one-third of drivers fail to check their mirrors during the last eight seconds before swerving into the next lane when trying to avoid an oncoming crash.

Another reason to avoid swerving is that your surroundings could be more dangerous. If you swerve to avoid a crash and roll your car down an embankment, the risk of injuries will likely rise. If you swerve on a city street and wind up on the sidewalk, pedestrians could be in far more danger than anyone in a car would have been if the two vehicles collided.

You could also end up causing a far worse accident. For example, if a car cuts you off while pulling out of a driveway and you swerve to your left to avoid a rear-end accident, you may swerve right into oncoming traffic. Instead of a rear-end crash with another car at 25 mph, you hit another vehicle head-on while traveling 50 mph.

Swerving Can Be a Sign of Dangerous Driving

Even if you are swerving to avoid an accident, the police may see it differently. If you swerve to avoid an accident others didn’t see, they may report you for unsafe driving. According to the NHTSA’s Visual Detection of DWI Motorists, swerving is a sign of possible impaired driving. This happens to drunk drivers if they notice their car drifting out of their lane, and they quickly jerk the wheel back to avoid detection.

Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer After an Accident

Every accident is different. If you can do so safely, you should try to avoid a crash and keep yourself and others safe. But your options might be more complicated when making that decision in a split second. After a crash, talk to a car accident lawyer about your legal rights and whether you might be able to pursue compensation for your injuries.