Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> Look for the follow-up next week.
>
> http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/146053
>
> George Perlmutter has a question that Road Runner can't answer.
> "When a car pulls up to a red light and stops one or two car lengths
> behind the car in front of them, don't they realize that they may
> cause the cars behind them to miss getting through the intersection? I
> often wonder why they do this," he wrote.
> If you leave a lot of space between your car and the one in front of
> it, tell us why. Write or e-mail Road Runner at the addresses at the
> end of this column, and we'll print some of the responses next week.
> --
> I'm a wreckless driver and damn proud of it!

What I've seen a lot of are cars that stop short behind another car,
and then creep forward to a reasonable distance after they've stopped.
the car following, if it's a stickshift, may choose not to do the same
to save wear and tear on the clutch. Happened to me quite a bit; I
will stop a reasonable distance (just enough that I can swing onto the
shoulder if I have to) behind another car, and then he'll creep forward
10-15 feet or more, leaving a huge gap between us. Not sure why people
do this, unless they're just completely unable to modulate their
braking.

nate