The problem with low speed accidents is that it doesn’t take much to actually flip a car over, as long as it’s physically possible to do so and all the stars sort of align against you.
Now, we have seen this type of crash happen multiple times, and almost always at low speed. It’s become the prototypical bad-to-worse situation, and it’s one of the main reasons why you should always check your mirrors before changing lanes. Better yet, just check them regardless.
This incident took place in Sydney, Australia, and shows the driver of a Toyota Camry deciding it was safe to change lanes, when it fact an old Holden Astra was approaching.
As you can see, the contact between the two cars was actually minimal, but the way the Astra went flying, you’d think the Camry decked it with all it had. In reality, direct contact between the front wheels is all it took. Thankfully, the Astra landed on its wheels, though not before rolling over completely.
While it would be unfair to pass any of the blame on the driver of the Astra, the truth is they certainly didn’t exercise any of their preemptive driving skills, because they had almost a full second to hit the brakes once the Toyota started inching closer – yet there was no reaction. This could all have been avoided.