> I check my mirror to see if I'm likely to get hit from behind if I brake hard. I do this too. In fact, if I need to brake suddenly, I initially over-brake. I

> I check my mirror to see if I'm likely to get hit from behind if I brake hard. I do this too. In fact, if I need to brake suddenly, I initially over-brake. I then check the rear-view while easing off slightly. By over-braking I have some extra room to coast forward if the following car is still approaching too quickly. And my hope is that the initial more rapid deceleration causes the person behind to react more quickly and strongly than otherwise. It also hedges for me in the event that I misjudged the severity or if the person in front brakes increasingly aggressively. By going harder early I can always ease off if it’s unwarranted. But in the event the car in front hits something or otherwise slams to a halt, I’ll be better off than if I initially braked more conservatively.