Does a driver have a reasonable expectation that the driver ahead will continue at the same speed and direction unless properly signaled?

Answer 1

== == No. Expecting such a thing is dangerous. Expect the unexpected, and drive defensively. Assume the driver in front is going to slam on the brakes without warning, and drive accordingly. The average car takes from 130-150 feet to stop at a speed of 60 mph in good conditions on dry pavement. Double that on a wet road, and triple it on snow. Tailgating is one of the most irresponsible things a driver can do, and that is why the driver in the rear is almost always legally At Fault in a rear-ender.

Use the 3-second rule to never be too close, and have time to stop when that driver does something unexpected (which they will). Pick out an object in front of the car you are following. When that car passes the object, start counting, 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand. If you get to the object you picked out before reaching 3 one thousand, you are following too closely.

Use the 6-second rule on a wet road and 9 seconds on snow. Practice this and eventually it will become second nature. In the beginning you will think that you are way too far behind the car in front, but you are not. Most people drive too closely, that is why there are more rear-end accidents than any other. Driving in this manner will prevent you from hitting anyone in the rear no matter what they do. All it takes is 3 seconds to drive defensively. Most "good drivers," at least as defined by many Driver's Education programs, should be expected to do this except in case of emergency (e.g. a sudden engine failure or incident in front of them). Reality, though, says otherwise. The previous section describes reality all too well.