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

Depends on the driver(s), vehicle(s), and road conditions. An alert
driver in a sports car behind a SUV driven by your typical soccer mom
is going to need *much* less following distance than if the
roles/positions were reversed.

There is no hard set answer, just like there is no fixed "speed limit"
that will improve highway safety. Even though you didn't hit the
original vehicle, that you were involved in an accident where you hit
someone from the rear would be an indication that the distance you were
traveling at wasn't far enough. :-)