5 ms·

If I slam on my brakes for no reason in the middle of a highway, and I get rear-ended, you would argue it's 100% the fault of the guy behind me? Ridiculous.

drekipus 4y ago
Leave a gap, then there's no problem. Change the situation: car on the other lane swerves and hits the car in front of you. so now there's a stationary hunk of metal suddenly infront of you, which you collide with. Is it the chunk of metal's fault for being stationary on a highway or your fault for following too close?
- readonthegoapp 4y ago
  i'll state the obvious - you can try to leave a gap, but it will be quickly filled, and you'll have a bunch of angry tailgaters and put yourself in danger very quickly.
  - mindslight 4y ago
    Common sense isn't so common on the Internet... So many comments repeating this pleasant fiction told to students in drivers' ed to set a good baseline, seemingly because people want to believe in the just world fallacy. Legally yes, you want to be damn sure you leave plenty room in front of you, regardless of how people cut in, because if you rear end someone it will most likely be considered your fault, regardless of the circumstances, especially if you don't have a dash cam. This goes doubly if you're driving a heavy vehicle with a longer stopping distance. But there are plenty of cases where it can certainly be the fault (morally, and legally if you can prove it) of the person who gets rear ended - intentionally "brake checking", insurance fraud "boxing", changing lanes from a stopped lane into a moving lane, or changing lanes with insufficient room behind you and then braking hard (as we seem to have here).
  - Enginerrrd 4y ago
    People say that a lot, but it's not true in my experience. You can spend a large fraction of your driving this way, and it's a much better experience than you'd think.
powerbroker 4y ago
It is ridiculous, when it becomes a pattern of conduct. Insurance fraudsters do get caught when a pattern emerges. Is this an insurance fraud? Check to see if there is a pattern with this driver. I read the transcript of the driver interviews. The Tesla driver (or FSD, whatever) both changed lanes and braked. The officer who interviewed hime cited him under the California code for improper stopping. I suspect that it had a lot to do with the lane change occurring simultaneously with the braking.
ecpottinger 4y ago
Considering some tail-gaters I know who drive less than 4 feet from the car infront of them, I want as many facts as possible.
metal 4y ago
Would you feel the same if there was a legitimate reason for your stopping (like a person on the road)? The outcome is the same.
- lupire 4y ago
  "Having a legitimate reason" is different from not. That's the difference between murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, and good Samaritan protection.
- gggggg5 4y ago
  Perhaps you just had a legitimate reason to cause a crash, doesn't mean the person driving behind you truly deserves any blame.
randyrand 4y ago
100%. yes. People slam on the breaks for any number of reasons, both valid and invalid. Failure to leave enough space to stop is 100% your fault. You were supposed to learn this in driving school.
- croes 4y ago
  Braking for no reason is definitely not a 100% yes.
- readonthegoapp 4y ago
  brake-checking is generally illegal. for a reason.
  - verdverm 4y ago
    What about when a deer runs out onto the highway?
    - readonthegoapp 4y ago
      don't think that qualifies as a brake check.
      - verdverm 4y ago
        Break check is not the only reason one slams on the breaks
        jjav 4y ago
        > Break check is not the only reason one slams on the breaks No, but it is a reason that is illegal, which is the point. If you brake check someone (and they have a dashcam to prove it), you'll be paying the fines and the repairs.
richardjam73 4y ago
You should always be prepared that any vehicle in front of you can emergency brake at any time. If you don't leave enough room for this then you are at fault.
- lupire 4y ago
  The new story here is about a car that changed lanes. If you don't get when you don't have room, you are at fault.
  - richardjam73 4y ago
    If the cars where following at a safe distance then only one or two other cars should have collided but that doesn't explain 8 cars crashing.
naikrovek 4y ago
yes absolutely it is the fault of the person behind you. that is the law in the United States, as well. following distance is controllable only by the following car. failure to maintain adequate following distance then rear ending the car you are following, no matter what reason they stopped, is always the fault of the following car, and never the followed car. stopping for no reason on a busy interstate is an offence, but it will cause zero crashes if people are following at safe distances. the number of people who have forgotten what they probably didn't learn to begin with in Driver's Ed is really scaring me right now.
- jjav 4y ago
  > yes absolutely it is the fault of the person behind you. > that is the law in the United States, as well. No, this is incorrect. First of all, vehicle code is different for each state so there's no "law in the United States" as a whole. For California, this is the section which makes brake checking illegal: https://california.public.law/codes/ca_veh_code_section_22109 https://california.public.law/codes/ca_veh_code_section_2210...
bdcravens 4y ago
It's your responsibility to remain in control of your vehicle and maintain proper stopping distance for the speed you're traveling.
alasdair_ 4y ago
The "no reason" part means you were intentionally doing something dangerous. But if you slammed on your breaks for any reason at all and the person behind you hits you, that's absolutely their fault.
rasz 4y ago
The crash - yes, but if you indeed did it for no reason you will get fined for creating dangerous road condition.

drekipus 4y ago

Leave a gap, then there's no problem. Change the situation: car on the other lane swerves and hits the car in front of you. so now there's a stationary hunk of metal suddenly infront of you, which you collide with. Is it the chunk of metal's fault for being stationary on a highway or your fault for following too close?

readonthegoapp 4y ago
i'll state the obvious - you can try to leave a gap, but it will be quickly filled, and you'll have a bunch of angry tailgaters and put yourself in danger very quickly.
- mindslight 4y ago
  Common sense isn't so common on the Internet... So many comments repeating this pleasant fiction told to students in drivers' ed to set a good baseline, seemingly because people want to believe in the just world fallacy. Legally yes, you want to be damn sure you leave plenty room in front of you, regardless of how people cut in, because if you rear end someone it will most likely be considered your fault, regardless of the circumstances, especially if you don't have a dash cam. This goes doubly if you're driving a heavy vehicle with a longer stopping distance. But there are plenty of cases where it can certainly be the fault (morally, and legally if you can prove it) of the person who gets rear ended - intentionally "brake checking", insurance fraud "boxing", changing lanes from a stopped lane into a moving lane, or changing lanes with insufficient room behind you and then braking hard (as we seem to have here).
- Enginerrrd 4y ago
  People say that a lot, but it's not true in my experience. You can spend a large fraction of your driving this way, and it's a much better experience than you'd think.

powerbroker 4y ago

It is ridiculous, when it becomes a pattern of conduct. Insurance fraudsters do get caught when a pattern emerges. Is this an insurance fraud? Check to see if there is a pattern with this driver. I read the transcript of the driver interviews. The Tesla driver (or FSD, whatever) both changed lanes and braked. The officer who interviewed hime cited him under the California code for improper stopping. I suspect that it had a lot to do with the lane change occurring simultaneously with the braking.

ecpottinger 4y ago

Considering some tail-gaters I know who drive less than 4 feet from the car infront of them, I want as many facts as possible.

metal 4y ago

Would you feel the same if there was a legitimate reason for your stopping (like a person on the road)? The outcome is the same.

lupire 4y ago
"Having a legitimate reason" is different from not. That's the difference between murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, and good Samaritan protection.
gggggg5 4y ago
Perhaps you just had a legitimate reason to cause a crash, doesn't mean the person driving behind you truly deserves any blame.

randyrand 4y ago

100%. yes. People slam on the breaks for any number of reasons, both valid and invalid. Failure to leave enough space to stop is 100% your fault. You were supposed to learn this in driving school.

croes 4y ago
Braking for no reason is definitely not a 100% yes.
readonthegoapp 4y ago
brake-checking is generally illegal. for a reason.
- verdverm 4y ago
  What about when a deer runs out onto the highway?
  - readonthegoapp 4y ago
    don't think that qualifies as a brake check.
    - verdverm 4y ago
      Break check is not the only reason one slams on the breaks
      - jjav 4y ago
        > Break check is not the only reason one slams on the breaks No, but it is a reason that is illegal, which is the point. If you brake check someone (and they have a dashcam to prove it), you'll be paying the fines and the repairs.

richardjam73 4y ago

You should always be prepared that any vehicle in front of you can emergency brake at any time. If you don't leave enough room for this then you are at fault.

lupire 4y ago
The new story here is about a car that changed lanes. If you don't get when you don't have room, you are at fault.
- richardjam73 4y ago
  If the cars where following at a safe distance then only one or two other cars should have collided but that doesn't explain 8 cars crashing.

naikrovek 4y ago

yes absolutely it is the fault of the person behind you. that is the law in the United States, as well. following distance is controllable only by the following car. failure to maintain adequate following distance then rear ending the car you are following, no matter what reason they stopped, is always the fault of the following car, and never the followed car. stopping for no reason on a busy interstate is an offence, but it will cause zero crashes if people are following at safe distances. the number of people who have forgotten what they probably didn't learn to begin with in Driver's Ed is really scaring me right now.

jjav 4y ago
> yes absolutely it is the fault of the person behind you. > that is the law in the United States, as well. No, this is incorrect. First of all, vehicle code is different for each state so there's no "law in the United States" as a whole. For California, this is the section which makes brake checking illegal: https://california.public.law/codes/ca_veh_code_section_22109 https://california.public.law/codes/ca_veh_code_section_2210...

bdcravens 4y ago

It's your responsibility to remain in control of your vehicle and maintain proper stopping distance for the speed you're traveling.

alasdair_ 4y ago

The "no reason" part means you were intentionally doing something dangerous. But if you slammed on your breaks for any reason at all and the person behind you hits you, that's absolutely their fault.

rasz 4y ago

The crash - yes, but if you indeed did it for no reason you will get fined for creating dangerous road condition.