Shocking footage shows a the moment a tailgating driver was brake-checked by a car in front of them, resulting in a horrendous collision.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, 'brake-checking' is when a car travelling closely in front of another very suddenly and unexpectedly puts the brakes on.

Someone might mistakenly do this if they think someone is too close behind them, or to try and make them stop.

Needless to say this is a very dangerous thing to do as it can very easily lead to the car behind hitting the one in front. I

Not only that, but in Australia where this incident in question took place, someone who is proved to have brake-checked could be charged with careless driving or driving without due care and attention.

That's not to say that the tailgater is in the right either however, as tailgating is also illegal in Australia.

In this instance, the brake-check resulted in a horrendous crash involving multiple vehicles.

Footage is shown from the vehicle behind, a Mazda 3 hatchback which was being driven by a 20-year-old man.

The two vehicles had been travelling on the northbound side of the Bruce Hwy on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland at around 14.30 on Wednesday.

A camera mounted on the a truck in the next lane showed that the Mazda was following behind the car in front, a Subaru, and passing within less than a metre of it.

So very clearly tailgating.

In the footage, the driver of the Subaru can be shown to be brake-checking on two occasions.

While the first brake check passes without any incident, the second one had disastrous consequences, with the tailgating Mazda veering off into another lane.

This causes the car to fishtail, meaning that the back end of the vehicle loses traction and skids out.

The Mazda then hits the truck where the camera is mounted, before continuing on and hitting at least one other vehicle - a different truck.

As for the brake-checking Subaru, that was able to drive off unscathed.

It is not yet clear if anyone was injured in the collision, and police have yet to file any charges relating to the incident.

The incident just goes to show how reckless and dangerous both tailgating and brake-checking are.

When driving, especially at high speeds on larger roads, it is essential to leave adequate distance between your vehicle and those in front.

And unless you want a potential court case, injury, or even death, then brake-checking and tailgating are probably best avoided.