Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

Many drivers appreciate the fact that their vehicle requires time and distance to make a safe stop. However, some fail to gauge time and distance properly, tailgating other vehicles too closely, and causing rear-end car and truck accidents. As Chicago car accident and injury attorneys, we have seen the devastating result of cars and trucks that collide with another vehicle from the rear.

Following vehicles too closely, or tailgating, is the cause of most rear-end collisions, according to the Illinois Secretary of State. As a result, most motorists could probably stand to be reminded of the three-second rule.

The three-second rule works like this: Using caution while driving, choose a fixed object up ahead of you on the road. When the vehicle in front of you passes the object, begin counting "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two," and so on. If you count to "one-thousand-three" before your vehicle passes your chosen object, you are following too closely. Of course, this only applies when you are traveling a well-paved road in good weather conditions. If weather and road conditions are bad, widen the gap between you and the vehicle in front of you. Be prepared to expect the unexpected. Also, as you increase your speed, it is a good idea to increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

The Illinois Secretary of State provides some guidance on how you should adjust speed to match the flow of traffic. For example, if you are traveling 25 miles per hour, your vehicle will cover approximately 37 feet in 1 second. A vehicle following the three-second rule will maintain a distance of 111 feet from the car in front of it. If you are driving faster, say at 55 miles per hour, your vehicle will travel 81 feet per second. Per the three-second rule, you should stay 243 feet behind the driver in front of you. In other words, 4/5ths of length of a football field.

Rear-impact car accidents can cause very serious personal injuries, including severe neck, back or spinal cord injuries and even wrongful death. People involved in rear-end car crashes are typically subjected to a great amount of force, which may result in severe injuries.

Often, the at fault driver in a rear-impact car accident will argue that he did not anticipate that the driver in front of him would stop so suddenly. However, Illinois drivers have a duty to anticipate sudden stops. Ferguson v. Zeman, 109 Ill.App.2d 417 (1st Dist. 1969) (finding the trial court improperly directed a verdict for the defendants where the evidence showed that defendants were negligently following too closely).