If you follow at a safe distance, and pay attention, this wont happen.
Not necessarily so...
I was caught by an insurance scammer while driving down a two-lane one-way street. She (believe it or not - a middle-aged Asian women with a history of insurance fraud) stopped in the right lane with me following. I
WAS following at a safe distance. I
WAS paying attention.
I switched lanes (to the left lane) to go around her. She then made a perfectly timed left turn (toward the side street) from the right lane. I saw her head swivel before she made the move, and I knew she was coming. I was almost able to come to a complete stop and cut to the left before gently tapping her driver door with my right front fender.
She never got out of her car. I handed her my info through her cracked window. Since it was her fault, and the damage was so minor it could be resolved with a good buffing - I left the scene to make my appointment.
WRONG!
It turns out this was set up to occur in front of a body shop where she apparently had a confederate. They apparently smashed up the rear-end of her late-model Accord and claimed it was totaled - along with all kinds of physical injuries requiring extensive therapy, etc.
The insurance company denied her claims based on the physical evidence (My car only had a cracked turn signal and a smudge of white paint on the front right corner of my rubber fender). It was obvious that her damages and injuries could not possibly have been the result of a collision with my car.
It went to mediation and the mediator upheld her claim (??!!)
Bottom line: It doesn't matter how seemingly minor the incident may seem - or how important your appointment is...
DON'T leave the scene (unless you feel threatened).
DO call the police.
DO wait in your car until they arrive.
DO carry a cheap disposable camera in your car at all times (if you don't have a camera phone) to record the damages at the scene.
