Rule No.3
Don't follow too close.

They used to call this tailgating. Most people call it following too close. I call it stupid. If you're in a hurry just go around. Don't hang on someone's bumper. The reason tailgating is frowned upon is because of the Assured Clear Distance law. Basically, this law states that no one is permitted to operate a vehicle at a distance that would prevent stopping in the event that the vehicle up ahead stops. In other words, if you follow too close you can't stop in time and end up rear-ending the car in front of you. It also means that you don't have your vehicle under control at all times. Not controlling your vehicle constitutes reckless operation, which is also against the law.

The Assured Clear Distance Law also decrees that a driver should operate a vehicle so that he or she has clear sight ahead. This is subject to interpretation. Another factor is in a so-called 'sudden emergency' situation. In this case the driver is supposed to use 'honest judgment', whatever that means. This rule is contrary to the Clear Distance Law and opens up a possible legal defense.

Using this 'honest Judgment' idea, a lawyer can punch a few holes in the Clear Distance law. For one thing, it's possible to mount a legal defense if the driver in front of you stops abruptly for no reason under the 'sudden emergency' principal. However, this has to be proven in court if you get a ticket for an Assured Clear Distance law infraction.

So, how does one avoid a rear end collision? The old rule used to be allowing a car length distance for every ten miles per hour. Thus, if you're driving at 60 miles per hour, leave six car lengths. Modern cars have better breaks; including so called breaking assist, and this helps to prevent skidding, so maybe this rule doesn't apply nowadays. My guess is that you might be able to drop to three quarters of a car length per ten miles per hour.

The easiest way to avoid this problem is to not tailgate. Keep some distance so that if something happens you can stop. I like to leave more distance, especially while driving on a super highway, in order to allow for drivers to come out of an entrance ramp or go over to an exit ramp from a lane next to the one I'm driving in. If they don't have enough room, many drivers resort to nearly clipping my bumper. It's better to make it easier than to close out the other driver by following too close.

This is a somewhat complicated problem these days, and many drivers think that they should drive close to prevent someone from edging in front of them. I believe that it's better to be courteous and allow room. It's the nice thing to do.

Thanks for reading.