Tailgating crashes in Colorado usually come down to one point: if you tailgate and hit the car ahead of you, you will likely be found liable. Even if someone rear-ended you and pushed you into the car in front, you may be found partly at fault if you were following too closely.
Marlo Greer wants Colorado drivers to do better. As she points out in her video on this topic, Colorado drivers are ranked as some of the worst drivers in the United States. Given that this is based on self-reported driving behaviors, the ranking is probably fairly accurate. The main problem, in her view, is tailgating.
Tailgating Crashes and Rear-End Collision Claims in Colorado
The first reason not to tailgate is the obvious one. If you’re tailgating and traffic slows down suddenly, you won’t have time to stop, and you’ll crash into the person in front of you.
Here’s another. Say someone slams into your car from behind while you’re tailgating the person in front of you. That impact can shove you into the leading car, causing damage to their vehicle.
Keep in mind: if you tailgate and hit the vehicle ahead, you will likely be found liable. Even if someone hit you from behind and pushed you into the car ahead, you may be found partly at fault if tailgating left you no room to stop. For more on how fault gets sorted out, read How Is Fault Determined After a Colorado Car Accident? and Colorado Comparative Negligence: How Shared Fault Works.
How Far Back Should You Follow?
The old formula said to give yourself one car length for every 10 mph of speed. At 60 mph, that meant staying at least six car lengths behind the vehicle ahead. Colorado’s driver handbook recommends at least a three-second gap, and more in bad weather, heavy traffic or at night.
Pick a landmark. Count how many seconds pass between the front car passing it and you passing it. Make sure you count your seconds properly; “one-one thousand, two-one thousand” is a good way to do it.
In bad weather, and this is Colorado, so there’s plenty of it, increase the distance. You’ll need more time to react if the road is slippery or visibility is poor.
If a Tailgater Hit You
We represent people who were seriously or permanently injured in car crashes, and we understand how Colorado law applies to these cases. If a tailgater hurt you, read What to Do After a Car Accident in Colorado: 9 Steps, then call Greer Law Group at 303-331-6460 or contact us online to schedule a free case evaluation.
And in the meantime, Marlo has one thing to say to you when you’re out on the road: “Stay off my ass!”
