"Following too close" Accident

I was recently involved in an auto accident (Marietta, GA) where the vehicle in front of me came to a sudden and quick stop as the light turned yellow and I ended up hitting it (rear ending). The police issued me a citation for "following too close." I do not believe that I was totally at fault for this accident, neither of us was at a safe stopping distance from the light (for safety reasons, he should have gone through, rather than stopping). At the time, there were no injuries and damage appeared minimal. My question is about how to handle the citation? Should I go to court and fight it (knowing that I will lose and be charged additional fees)? If I pay the fine, would I be (more) open to a civil lawsuit (if the other driver decided to go that route)?

[BelizeBreeze]

DUPLICATE POST
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[url]http://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?p=777585#post777585[/url]

[CdwJava]

Civil courts and insurance companies rarely look at the criminal or traffic violations in determining fault. Even if the police say you are at fault for following too close (which, you were), the insurance company or a civil court may well see that his short stop was a contributing factor and assign a portion of the blame to the other guy.

And just going through a light is not usually the best call. And if people were following at a safe and lawful distance - and paying attention - they would not strike the rear end of the person they were following.

The distance followed should allow for ample stopping time should the car in front come to an almost complete stop. Not many people adhere to this rule, but it is there nonetheless.

- Carl

[JETX]

Originally Posted by CdwJava

Civil courts and insurance companies rarely look at the criminal or traffic violations in determining fault.

Carl, I suggest you get some assistance in determining what 'duplicate post' means.... and how your ignoring same causes confusion on the forum.

[CdwJava]

Originally Posted by JETX

Carl, I suggest you get some assistance in determining what 'duplicate post' means.... and how your ignoring same causes confusion on the forum.

Considering I was typing my response while you were posting yours, I never saw it until now. You posted at 4:01 PM, and mine was at 4:05 PM.

- Carl