Horrifying pile up on the motorway

[BigV]

The trouble with pile-ups is less about how far you are from the vehicle in front (although the further the better) than how close the vehicle behind is. You can still be able to stop in time and have someone behind unable to stop, plough into you and push you into the vehicle ahead.

Sorry, I have to challenge this. When I'm behind the wheel, I'm responsible for how I drive. I can't control lots of other things around me, least of all the other drivers, just my own driving. The idea you describe about the following driver reminds me of what my teenagers said when I protested about their excessive speed, "But the guy behind me is so close!" as if they could outrun them, or stretch the distance between them and the following driver. Impossible.

What you say is true insofar as I might be rear ended if the driver behind me doesn't stop fast enough. But I have zero ability to control that, and that driver has his own responsibility, the same as I do.

The trouble with pile ups is driving too fast for conditions, be they visibility or sudden obstacles in the roadway.