#135: "I love all these idiots who are like, oh you should have been farther away. Right, because it's our job as drivers to pay attention to every move a person in front of us makes, even when they abruptly stop because they are breaking the law." "and #118, actually yeah, that is our job as drivers." "#128: Drivers that are too cautious get into more accidents :) Yeah, we're supposed to pay attention, but noting everything everyone does every second gets you in trouble just as much as not paying any attention." Never said not tailgating is being too cautious. I'm saying that noting every single thing every single car does every single second is being too cautious. You don't have to be tailgating to hit someone from behind when they suddenly stop on a HIGHWAY. People are missing this. If it's a residential, 15-25mph zone, then yes. I'd agree he was tailgating. But a 65+mph highway? No necessarily true. And he'd be too cautious if he was driving, paying more attention to everything everyone else is doing every second rather than what he's doing and what's going on directly around him. And if he was coming up from a distance behind the woman that suddnly stopped, his reflexes may not have kicked in within .1seconds because he couldn't tell she was stopping until he was too close.

What the hell else are you doing that needs paying attention to, #170? Your cell phone? Looking for a CD? Picking your nose? Cause you know, as far as I was ever taught in Driver's Ed, you kinda are supposed to be paying attention to the road you're driving on. Including what the other cars on said road are doing. I've been in that situation and you know what? I didn't hit the guy in front of me - because I wasn't tailgating like a fool.

If you rear-end someone it will be, in 99.9% of the cases, YOUR OWN FAULT. You DO have to be prepared for the person in front of you to slam on the brakes no matter what, at any given time. What if an animal runs across the road? I can't believe there are people like #118 and #133 that somehow got their license in the first place. C'mon now, this is driver's ed 101.

Op... YDI, big-time. I think all that needed to be said has already been said #39 (tWitt3rBuG) ABS? Do you even have the faintest idea what that is and how it works? Look it up sometime... or wait, let me do that for you instead. Just go to the following address: http://tinyurl.com/q2k36r #170 (nikki1001) - tailgating doesn't just mean riding their rear bumper. It means "To drive so closely behind (another vehicle) that one cannot stop or swerve with ease in an emergency." Want me to google that for you too? Plus... I kind of doubt the person reduced from 65 to 0 instantly (something that would have happened had the person hit something in front of her), more likely she dropped from 65 to 50-55, which gives ample reaction time. Someone else was saying how the 2 second rule doesn't help there... because it would take you two seconds to hit the car in front of you... once again, that only applies to the car in front of you coming to a complete halt from 65 instantly... something that won't happen unless the car in front of you hit a telegraph pole head on or something, so you still have ample time to react, because it would take more than 2 seconds to cut the distance between you and a car driving at a lower speed, though still not at a complete stop. To all you people who say the OP wasn't at fault or that we should go to NY to see the 1 car distance per 10 mph rule followed... go, have your brain checked and then come back. If every car on the highway is driving at about 60-something MPH (something that definitely wouldn't happen in heavy traffic), you can easily keep 6 cars distance in front of you... On the other hand, if you're going at 10 mph... keeping a bit under a car distance from the one in front of you is pretty easy... and even if someone does decide to stick themselves in there, they'd be essentially cutting you off and asking for a crash plus getting a ticket, because even though the one that's in the back is always at fault, usually when someone cuts you off too dangerously, you'd hit their side rather than their rear.

YDI, when you rear-end someone, for whatever reason, it is ALWAYS your fault.

#173 is absolutely correct. OP YDI You have to remember that driving is a RESPONSIBILITY(not a right, hence the need for a license), not only for the safety of you and your passengers but to any other driver or pedestrian on the road. Always err on the side of safety, and always assume that the drivers around you are very poor drivers, not the opposite. A lot of people have already mentioned that "What if an animal jumped in front of her", but many other things can happen, like if one of her tires suddenly exploded. You should also be aware of the lanes around you, so if something like this happens again, you may be able to shift to another lane instead. Here's a reminder, if you need to get somewhere on time, try leaving your house a little earlier instead. Also, keeping 2+ seconds in between you and the next car is only causing you to get to your destination 2 seconds later; I think whoever is waiting for you at your destination can wait that long. Even if driving more safely somehow costs you more than a few minutes more to get there, do you think that person waiting for you will be that angry that you're late? Man up and say it straight "I'm late because I left late". And to all you NYC complainers, #173 hit the nail on the head. Obviously in heavy traffic you can't keep 6 cars between you, because you're not traveling at 60 mph! The 2 second rule still applies though at lower speeds, just the distance will be much shorter.

Yeah it sucks that a stupid driver slammed on their brakes, but seriously pay attention and don't stay so close to her. If you couldn't slow down in time then either A.) you were going way to fast B.) You were way to close to her.

Yeah, FYL. Anyone that says you should have followed the 3-second rule is either being a self-righteous prick or doesn't drive in big city rush hour traffic or both. As #56 pointed, it's literally impossible as other drivers will continually move into the space you leave between you and the car in front of you. Slower speed doesn't change anything until you're barely moving. Even going 30, there's plenty of room for others to move in front of you, forcing you to go even slower to keep distance, which still allows cars in front, and on and on while you end up causing more traffic congestion by riding your brakes the entire trip. Great idea in theory, doesn't work in practice. As for the driver who slammed on her brakes, it sucks and doesn't do anything. The cop either already knows you were speeding and is going to ticket you regardless or he doesn't care. Slamming on your brakes doesn't save you and, shockingly, your erratic behavior has a good chance of causing an accident.

#118: yea it is our job. if I slam my breaks because I see someone I want to shoot and you crash into me its still your fault.

damn dude that sucks, i would see if i could contest that one in court