In article <1105588501.1343a69283ca53e18e3983dea2fe5949@teran ews>,
Tim923 > wrote:

> If a car slams on the breaks in a 55mph zone unexpectedly to a
> complete stop (as quickly as possible, he missed his turn perhaps),
> how much reaction time does the car behind need to avoid collision.

About two seconds.

> Would it be fair for the car hitting the stopping car to get a ticket
> for tailgating?
>

You bet.

> My accident conditions weren't this extreme, but it got me thinking.
> I only received a tailgating warning, plus 5 grand damage to the car.
> It was a 45mph zone. I actually hit the 2nd car behind the stopped
> car. The first two were able to stop in time. The stopped car drove
> off and was never ID'd.

Then you had that much more chance of stopping in time, and if you were
following properly, *by definition* you should have been able to stop
even if it was the car immediately ahead of you who precipitated the
chain of events.

--
Alan Baker
Vancouver, British Columbia
"If you raise the ceiling 4 feet, move the fireplace from that wall
to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect
if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard."