by Guest » Thu Jun 11, 2009 02:41 pm
I was driving on freeway at a 55 mph. It was traffic but it was going at a even flow. I was behind a suv so I could not really see what was going on directly in from of me. I was about 2 car links behind. The suv made a sudden stop and I slam my breaks but still i hit him from behind. I did not have time to adjust and I could not change lanes to avoid a accident because of other cars in the ohter lanes. We were in the middle lane. I ask the driver of the suv what happen why did he stop so suddenly. He said " there was something going on in front of him. Will the insurance company still fault me for this accident?
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 02:53 pm Post Subject:
Yes. You were at fault. If you had been following at an acceptable distance, then you would have been able to stop. A rule of thumb is 1 car length per 10mph. If you are traveling 55mph, you should be at least 4-5 car lengths behind for exactly the reason you stated.
You were too close and you couldn't see anything else going on in front of him. Had you been back further you could see.
Were you issued a ticket?
Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 08:57 pm Post Subject:
Yup, at fault all day and every day. You were not in control of your vehicle and you failed to maintain the correct distance behind the SUV. Use the 2 second rule and you were _WAY_ to close! At 55mph you should be about 100-150 feet behind the vehicle in front of you, a little further if you can't see past it. You were about 20 feet away... almost tailgating.
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 04:45 am Post Subject:
Hi lilman,
Didn't you come to know of these driving practices while you were being trained prior to your driving test? How could you be so close when you were driving at 55mph? Were you in a hurry?
If you haven't had a clear vision in front, you could have slowed down and adjusted your pace when you already knew that you were in the mid-lane..am I right!
Steven
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 05:18 am Post Subject:
Lilman, were you not required to maintain enough distance from the car in front of you especially when driving behind a big SUV? You need to drive even more carefully when there is a big car in front of you and you can hardly see past it.
I'd agree with the other posters that the insurance company is right in deciding your fault. Let us know if we can be of more help.
By the way, how bad was the accident?
~Jeremy
Add your comment