Rule
The gap is your reaction time
A rear-end collision is always the following driver's fault. Too little gap in a queue means you can't react to sudden braking ahead, and no insurer accepts excuses.
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Lesson4 min
Queue driving: the defensive gap
Why tailgating makes you the responsible party in a rear-end collision.
You will learn, among other things:
Tip
See the rear wheels of the car ahead
In a stopped queue: make sure you can see the rear wheels of the car in front. That's about 2 metres, enough to steer out if something happens (e.g. someone rear-ends you, pushing you into the car ahead).
Scenario
Hard braking at 100 km/h in traffic
Motorway 100 km/h in heavy traffic. Car ahead brakes suddenly. With the 3-second gap (about 83 m) you can brake smoothly. At 1 second (28 m) you can't, and multi-car pile-ups start exactly this way.