I don't know what the rules are in the US but here in Switzerland, the following driver is always assumed to be at fault. You're meant to maintain sufficient di

I don't know what the rules are in the US but here in Switzerland, the following driver is always assumed to be at fault. You're meant to maintain sufficient distance to safely stop your vehicle no matter what happens in front of you. If you hit the car in front of you, it generally means you didn't have sufficient distance, weren't paying sufficient attention to the road or weren't in a suitable state to be driving a car. That's not to say that drivers here are absolutely perfect by any means; just that the expectation is that you always keep sufficient stopping distance. It's drilled into you during the mandatory training courses that this means stopping distance as well, not just braking distance. You're also required to undertake a course that includes emergency stops in adverse conditions, like simulated ice.