There is no principle that the driver of a following vehicle is inevitably liable when colliding with the vehicle in front; liability depends on the particular facts. Where a plaintiff has deliberately or recklessly created a dangerous situation, the defendant's conduct is not assessed by the most exacting standards, and misjudgement in an emergency does not equate with negligence. Arithmetical calculations of stopping time are of little assistance where the underlying distance evidence is unreliable.
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