Multi-car wrecks

[Anonymous]

I was once on a highway in florida going about 80 in the left lane. The whole flow of traffic was 80. This idiot slammed on her brakes and came to a complete stop. No one was in front of her. She just looked young and dumb. At 80, i try to keep 4 or 5 car legnths. I dangerously switched lanes but no one else had time to stop. I witnessed a multi car crash. It was the fault of the driver that stopped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was once on a highway in florida going about 80 in the left lane. The whole flow of traffic was 80. This idiot slammed on her brakes and came to a complete stop. No one was in front of her. She just looked young and dumb. At 80, i try to keep 4 or 5 car legnths. I dangerously switched lanes but no one else had time to stop. I witnessed a multi car crash. It was the fault of the driver that stopped.

You were driving in the incorrect lane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Often if you leave the space you need someone will just cut in front of you, so you need to figure what’s the most you can leave without that happening

Also don’t be so judgy

Yep. It's impossible sometimes to leave the recommended amount of space. You'd need to keep slowing down every time a car cuts in front of you. Then you'll get rear ended by the car behind you that wasn't keeping enough space.

This. My car has a sort of self-driving mode and it will maintain a safe distance when I enable cruise on highways. Of course, cars keep lane changing into the safe gap I leave in front of me...

This. I pretty much always use my adaptive cruise control when driving at speed on the highway, but plenty of cars jump in my safe distance and my car slows down. I have thought that if more people used this feature, the roads would probably be safer.

On a related note, I know someone who was at a red light and rear ended at full speed. Most likely the guy was on the phone, but I assume if his vehicle had automatic braking like mine does, his vehicle would at least have slowed down before hitting the stopped car in front of him. Self driving cars have to be an improvement given how many people look at their phone while driving.

This is my biggest fear in DC driving, and why I don't let my son out of his seatbelt when we take Ubers until the very last minute

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tailgating has gotten crazy. Every time I’m on the road someone is on my ASS. I’m in CA. Our speed limit is 65 on the freeway. I go 75-80. No matter. There are always hordes of cars pushing me to go faster!! They push push push hoping I’ll speed up. All that does is make me slow down just to piss them off.

If this is happening in the left lane, move over. If not, I got nothing.

It has happened in the left lane, and also the middle lanes and also regular roads/streets. It’s an issue. People are crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Often if you leave the space you need someone will just cut in front of you, so you need to figure what’s the most you can leave without that happening

Also don’t be so judgy

Yep. It's impossible sometimes to leave the recommended amount of space. You'd need to keep slowing down every time a car cuts in front of you. Then you'll get rear ended by the car behind you that wasn't keeping enough space.

This. My car has a sort of self-driving mode and it will maintain a safe distance when I enable cruise on highways. Of course, cars keep lane changing into the safe gap I leave in front of me...

This. I pretty much always use my adaptive cruise control when driving at speed on the highway, but plenty of cars jump in my safe distance and my car slows down. I have thought that if more people used this feature, the roads would probably be safer.

On a related note, I know someone who was at a red light and rear ended at full speed. Most likely the guy was on the phone, but I assume if his vehicle had automatic braking like mine does, his vehicle would at least have slowed down before hitting the stopped car in front of him. Self driving cars have to be an improvement given how many people look at their phone while driving.

This is my biggest fear in DC driving, and why I don't let my son out of his seatbelt when we take Ubers until the very last minute

Huh? How is this novel? Why wouldn't everyone in the car keep their belt on until the destination is reached?

[Anonymous]

It's already an offense to follow to closely. The police can cite drivers for this, but they rarely do.

And we've all seen plenty of absurd tailgating from cops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was once on a highway in florida going about 80 in the left lane. The whole flow of traffic was 80. This idiot slammed on her brakes and came to a complete stop. No one was in front of her. She just looked young and dumb. At 80, i try to keep 4 or 5 car legnths. I dangerously switched lanes but no one else had time to stop. I witnessed a multi car crash. It was the fault of the driver that stopped.

You contributed. The ol’ “I had to go 80 because everyone else was” excuse, huh? Just drive the speed limit, will ya?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was once on a highway in florida going about 80 in the left lane. The whole flow of traffic was 80. This idiot slammed on her brakes and came to a complete stop. No one was in front of her. She just looked young and dumb. At 80, i try to keep 4 or 5 car legnths. I dangerously switched lanes but no one else had time to stop. I witnessed a multi car crash. It was the fault of the driver that stopped.

How do you know who was cited for the crash if you weren't involved?

If you swereved and just barely missed being involved, then presumably you continued some distance down the road from where the crash happened. Maybe a quarter mile? That's about as close as you could reasonably be, having just been doing about 80mph, a quarter mile takes about 12 seconds. That's about the time you'd need to get under control, brake, and pulled over onto the shoulder and stopped. Then what? You're too far away from the scene at this point. Did you walk back? Back up dangerously on the shoulder?

Or did you just keep going like a reasonable person would do? Call the police once you're past it? Because that's what most people would do.


So how do you know the driver in front who stopped was at-fault?


Because every driver is responsible for not hitting the vehicle in front of them. And everyone in that crash failed to do that.

They are ALL at fault. Except for the first driver.

[Anonymous]

I dont know who got the ticket. I didnt wait around but the first driver should not have slammed on brakes on the left lane at that high of speed with nothing in front. I assume the last one in line was at fault when in reality the person who causes the collision slammed on the brakes on the highway for no reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont know who got the ticket. I didnt wait around but the first driver should not have slammed on brakes on the left lane at that high of speed with nothing in front. I assume the last one in line was at fault when in reality the person who causes the collision slammed on the brakes on the highway for no reason.

Nope. Sorry.

The collision is the fault of every driver who didn't leave enough following distance to avoid hitting the car in front of them.

Doesn't matter why the car in front slammed on the brakes. Maybe there was a reason, maybe there wasn't. It doesn't matter anyway. The law is very clear on this - you are at-fault if you hit the vehicle in front of you. Period. Because that is the ONLY type of crash that is 100% avoidable IF a safe distance is maintained.

That's why it's an automatic at-fault for the rear-ending driver.