united-states traffic speeding colorado
Are &quot;safe distance&quot; citations handled on a case-by-case basis? (USA)
<p>I've always been told that when you come to a red light or stop sign, to stop far enough behind the car in front of you so that you can see the bottom of their back tires. While a good general rule, I was wondering what would happen if, while you were following this rule, a much larger/speeding vehicle rear-ends you, causing you to hit the car ahead. <strong>Would the size/power difference be taken into account as to who's at fault for hitting who?</strong> I'm not looking for specific ratios, only if it matters. A bonus would be how much weather is taken into consideration.</p>

<p>Currently in CO, but do find myself getting out quite a bit.</p>

<p>There are only two rules I am aware of that apply to rear-end collisions on a roadway (in which all vehicles are properly headed in the same direction):</p>

<ol>
<li>The first vehicle that hits another in the rear is at fault for the collision, and any collateral collisions.</li>
<li>The preceding rule is <em>always</em> true <em>unless</em> there is evidence that the vehicle that was struck did something reckless or intentional to cause the collision.  For example, "cutting" in front of a truck and decelerating unnecessarily and faster than the truck can brake.  (Before dashcams became widespread this was a common tactic of fraudsters, who would subsequently sue the "rear-ender's" insurance company for "whiplash" injuries.)</li>
</ol>

<p>You seem to be asking whether there is a law or rule against coming to a stop <em>too close</em> to a vehicle in front.  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailgating" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tailgating</a> is generally illegal, but I have never heard of the concept being applied to vehicles that are not moving.</p>

<p>(<em>Clarification on your question:</em> "Stop far enough behind the car in front of you so that you can see the bottom of their back tires" is a <em>safety heuristic</em> that allows you to pull around the vehicle in an emergency without shifting into reverse.  It's a "rule" of defensive driving, but I have never heard it written into law.)</p>
