Who is at fault when the front car brakes suddenly and the rear car rear-ends it?
2 Answers
The rear car is fully responsible when the front car brakes suddenly and the rear car rear-ends it. Below are relevant explanations about rear-end collision liability: 1. Road rage-related rear-end collision: If you encounter a bad-tempered driver engaging in road rage, who suddenly accelerates, cuts in front of you, and slams on the brakes, causing a rear-end collision, don’t panic. As long as you have video evidence proving the other party was driving aggressively, you won’t be held liable. 2. Rear-end collision during a U-turn: If a car suddenly emerges from the adjacent lane to make a U-turn while you are driving straight, and you cannot avoid a rear-end collision or impact, there is no doubt that the U-turn vehicle is at fault. According to traffic regulations, the rule is 'Turning vehicles must yield to vehicles going straight,' commonly known as the 'yield to straight-going traffic' principle. In such cases, the turning or U-turn vehicle bears full responsibility for the accident.
This situation is actually quite common, and the responsibility usually falls on the following vehicle, because traffic regulations require the tailing car to maintain a sufficient safe distance to handle sudden situations. I remember once when I was driving, the car in front of me also braked suddenly, and I almost hit it—fortunately, I had left enough space. The law clearly states that the following vehicle is obligated to ensure it can brake in emergency situations; otherwise, it is at fault. Of course, if the leading vehicle was violating traffic rules, such as drunk driving or speeding, which caused the sudden brake, then the responsibility might be shared, but this would require on-site evidence or dashcam footage to prove. My advice is to always maintain a following distance of two to three seconds when driving, which can be measured using reference points along the roadside. Regular practice of braking reflexes can greatly reduce such accidents. Ultimately, safety comes first, and assigning responsibility is meant to educate everyone to drive cautiously.
