there was no way i could avoid it. is it the guys in front me's fault cause honestly he just breaked and stopped right there on the spot
2006-08-25 16:40:10 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You were too close. Your fault.
2006-08-25 16:42:57 · answer #1 · answered by newt_peabody 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmmmm, it seems that you think the driver in front of you was at fault. Do you?
Well, you were following too closely. Of course you could not avoid the accident. You could not control your vehicle because you were following too closely.
Were you wearing your seat belt?
The reason that we learn in driver's training class not to "tailgate" or drive closely to the car ahead of us is BECAUSE the driver in front of us may brake. The driver could brake for a variety of reasons including a blowout, a child or old person crossing the road, a pot hole (expecially in Michigan where most vehicles used to be made), ....the list is endless.
It takes you a certain amount of time to apply your brakes after you see the brake lights of the vehicle in front of you. This is called your "reaction time". If you are sleepy, distracted or on medication your reaction time will be slower. Your reaction time may be slower at night.
It takes a certain amount of distance for your vehicle to stop after you have applied the brakes. This is called the "braking distance". The braking distance will be farther if the pavement is wet or icy.
At 60 mph, the average alert reaction time eats 60 to 130 feet (and in the real world, closer to 135 feet for many), leaving little or no time to act. Two seconds of following distance at 60 mph, on the other hand, gives you over 176 feet of pavement to react and respond.
Two second rule: Watch as the vehicle ahead passes some object—then count "one-thousand-one, one thousand two." If you pass that same spot before getting to "two," you're too close—back off! Eight to ten seconds may not be enoungh if the road is icy.
If traffic is heavy — still use the 2 second rule. If other vehicles change lanes in front of you and fill the space, simply back off a little and get it back! Lose the ego—"It doesn't matter"—what counts is your safety.
If you keep more distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you, you will be safer, you would not be in the situation you are now with a smashed vehicle, and higher insurance bill. Do you have to pay the deductible on the other person's vehicle?
You are most fortunate that you did not get a ticket and have points added to your record. You are extremely fortunate that you were not injured. Consider that you learned a lesson the hard way, very hard.
2006-08-25 17:16:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Remember the 3 second rule. If you pass the same spot as the car in front of you before 3 seconds you are following too close. I know that can be frustrating in city driving with people cutting you off but that's the way to avoid a rear ending.
2006-08-25 16:48:57 · answer #3 · answered by Glenn M 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Usually - unless there are unusual circumstances, the person in the rear is at fault. The argument is that the person in the rear has control over how close they follow. That's why they always say to keep one car length per 10 mph of speed between you and the car in front and to keep your brakes in good condition. I did have an accident where the car in front of me stopped suddenly and I barely stopped in time. After I stopped completely - just a couple inches from the car in front of me - the car behind me hit me and knocked me into the car in front of me. The car behind me paid for the repairs to my car and the front car. The only other situations I can imagine where the front car would be at fault is if their brake lights were out or if they somehow spun and hit the car behind them.
2006-08-25 16:48:43 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry to hear that. Sadly, from the police's point of view, whenever someone rear ends someone, it's called "following too closely" and is the fault of the one who rear ended. Never mind that sometimes the driver in front is really the one who wasn't driving safely. It will go on your driving record and probably affect your insurance, which isn't fair. But at least you're all right. I hope it all works out!
2006-08-25 16:48:02 · answer #5 · answered by Rachel M 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You could have avoided it if:
1) You were not distracted by your cell phone, radio, or passenger.
2) You brakes were in good shape.
3) You were following at a safe distance.
4) You were alert.
A driver slamming his brakes on in front of you is easier to avoid hitting than a dear running out in front of you.
2006-08-25 19:40:18 · answer #6 · answered by x 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
unfortunately, most likely you will still be found in the wrong (following too close). I have only seen one case of one vehicle hitting another in the rear and it being the one in the front's fault. It happened to my sister when a man stopped in the road, put his car into reverse and backed into her--right in front of the local police dept with 4 cops witnessing it.
2006-08-25 16:46:19 · answer #7 · answered by Comfortably Numb™ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Any time you hit someone in the rear, no matter what the guy in front of you did, it is YOUR fault. Take this incident as a lesson.
2006-08-25 16:53:57 · answer #8 · answered by bobby 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you hit anyone from behind, you are 100 % at fault. Your insurance goes up and there would possibly be points on your license. Defensive driving would come in handy and it would reduce any points off of your license.
2006-08-25 17:00:13 · answer #9 · answered by blue_packy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes,it's the other person's fault,but you're both going to get penalized by your insurance companies for being in an accident and it will make your rate rise no matter who was at fault.
2006-08-25 16:47:19 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
You will get the ticket for following too closely. If you not been riding the other car's bumper, you would have had time to stop.
2006-08-25 16:44:58 · answer #11 · answered by yugie29 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋