Rear-end collisions

Following distance

Georgia requires a driver not to follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent. The statute directs attention to vehicle speed and highway conditions, as well as traffic. It does not prescribe one fixed distance for every passenger-car situation. A description such as "the front car stopped" needs that surrounding context before it answers the legal question.^[1]

Reading the sequence

A rear-end entry on a report should be read alongside the crash narrative and diagram. In a chain collision, the first contact and later contacts are different events. The reporting manual records collision details so that a label can be understood in context rather than treated as a complete reconstruction.^[2]

Recording information safely

Georgia's driver manual calls for exchanging identifying and vehicle information after stopping safely. It also directs drivers to obtain professional help for injuries. Where a crash on a multilane road meets the manual's conditions for moving vehicles out of traffic, the manual explains that moving them does not itself make the driver at fault. Documentation should not become a reason to disregard scene safety.^[3]

Related entries

• Evidence after a passenger-car crash Crash documentation and agency records, with an explanation of vehicle event data and its limits.
• Liability and comparative fault in Georgia Georgia liability and comparative fault, including nonparty apportionment and the recovery threshold.