How do I avoid getting rearended?

NOTHING you can do to control the idiot behind you. The only question I have…did you suddenly cut in front of them and hit your brakes??? If so then that’'s a problem…If not then I don’t know what you can do…

Cigroller has summed up exactly what I was thinking and exactly what I do.
While it is never possible to totally eliminate being rear-ended by distracted drivers and tailgaters, what Cigroller posted is your best defense.

Does it work? Well, I have only been rear-ended once–circa 1978–and that was a low-speed incident that caused no damage to my Volvo, despite significant damage to the front of the Buick that hit me at about 10 mph.

If you do everything that Cigroller has suggested, you will limit the chance of a repeat incident.

Well the OP has not come back to answer my question yet so I guess she wasn’t really interested in an answer. Apparently she just wanted to vent.

It is a good question. I have only been hit from behind once and I’ve been driving 46 years averaging about 30K miles per year (I did the math, about 1.5 million miles).

I really pay attention to having a “cushion” in front of me, or a space between me and the vehicle in front of me. I use the 2 second rule, and feel more comfortable with a 3 second space. If you don’t know the rule it means you mark a spot on the road that the car in front of you just passed and count to 2 or 3 seconds; “one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand” and if your car rolls over the spot in the road before you finish 3 one thousand you are too close. In snow and ice you give more distance. When a jerk is sitting on my rear bumper at 70 mph I am very uncomfortable and I’ll make sure I have my cushion in front so I don’t have to stop quickly. If there is no cushion in heavy traffic, I’ll slow down just a bit to create some more room in front. Without my cushion if brakes lights come on in front of me I’d have to hit my brakes and that can make the guy brake hard and a bad chain reaction can occur. The cushion is the key.

Uncle is exactly right. Maintaining a coushin all around you is extremely important. Tailgaters make it real hard. I slow down and prepare to stop real early so I have room in front to move into should I feel a rear ender coming up from behind.

While driving, I will even pull over and wave a rear tail gater by.
If all else fails, I first put my flashers on…as a last resort, I put the right blinker on. Cars generally slow down from behind when the think you will turn and leave you a coushin cause they think you are crazy if you don’t.

The first two were daytime, I was stopped at a light. The last was 6 pm but it was dark since it was December .

Thanks dagosa, I was wondering if it is ok to occasionally use my flashers. I haven,t ever seen anyone do it, but seems like a good idea to me

No, MikeinNh, I didn’t,t cut in front of anyone, just some guy not paying attention. I am always watching behind me now. I was in the far right lane, and it slows due to merging traffic. In the future, I am going to use the middle lanes whenever possible

I don’t think that tailgaters are that big of a problem. When I’ve been rearended, it was never by a tailgater. It was always someone who was way behind me and just didn’t attempt to stop because of some distraction. As a result, I always got hit hard.

I asked the question about daytime hits because I suspect that during the day, it is harder to see red taillights illuminating against a red background. At night, the color of the vehicle wouldn’t make a difference.

Turbo is right. Leave a cushion in front. Consequently, you’ll be driving slower than traffic, enough that other drivers don’t want to follow you. On city streets, coast up to red lights so your change in speed isn’t as abrupt and you may avoid stopping at all. But if you drive in areas so rural that you see another car every 30 seconds, this won’t work.

The first thing I would do to your RAV, is install a heavy duty 2 inch receiver hitch. I did it to mine, an older model with no rear bumper. Then keep a big ugly tow hook with the drop installed upside down. I was rear ended at a stop with a hitch installed this way on a new SAAB years ago and impaled the radiator of the new CADDY that hit me. I felt bad for the other driver, but not so nearly as bad if I didn’t have the hitch. I put hitches on ALL cars I own for that and other reasons. Only a low speed help though.
http://www.everythingsuv.com/waag_rear_bumper_guards-esuv.asp
I have thes front and rear on my SUV and has helped many times for low speed “bumping”. Maybe they make a model for RAVs ? They aren’t cheap but have saved my rear end many times over.

I tap my brakes a couple times to effectively ‘‘flash’’ the brake lights prior to a major slow down.
( On the way to my daughter’s school each morning there’s a stupid island at the left turn, fitting merely four vehicles safely in the turning lane. At this time of day there are dozens of vehicles needing to turn here ! Approaching this intersection I carefully take notice faaar ahead if the turning lane is filling up to leave many of us in the driving lane. THIS is where I flash my brake lights for the 45mph traffic behind, because the driving lane may be at a standstill untill the next light cycle. ) ( also, this town is ten miles long with a universal middle turning/accel lane the entire length of town…except for about six of these stupid islands ! )

But defensive stopping takes a diligent attention. Essentially pre-planning and predicting every move.

– Turn signal FIRST…then slow down, changing lanes prior to slowing if there’s a turning lane.
Otherwise it’s an odd circumstance of bad luck to have had so many.

But there’s a few things I’ve noticed some drivers do that are just asking for rear-enders.

Don’t NOT go when other drivers would naturally assume you should.

Don’t slam to a screeching halt at the first split second of a yellow IF you’re being followed by anyone who fully expects you’ll finish the move.

Go when it’s your turn, and everyone around you knows it is.

My S-I-L had a few accidents like that, and after driving with her, my wife noted that she always tended to brake hard. If you’re one of those, then try and brake more gently. Traffic behind you has to have time to react, and if you brake hard (like you’re one of those that drives with the right foot on the gas, and left on the brake), then the people behind you don’t have reaction time, and an accident ensues.

It’s important to note that my Mother drives like that (two feet all the time), and I’m still amazed she hasn’t had an accident.

Then again, if you’re stopped, at a red light, and you STILL get hit…maybe you’re just surrounded by idiots?

Chase

Yep, I am surrounded by idiots, and people who are not paying attention.
Thanks all for the advice. I like the receiver hitch idea, and the special flashing brake lights. I might go for the neon sign too.

Most accidents are avoidable. Even those that are someone elses fault. I passed the million mile mark 30 years ago FWIW.

Rod Knox…“most accidents are avoidable, even those that are someone else’s fault.”

You are right, but, there are still too many out there where the innocent party could do absolutely nothing to avoid a collision. Your point is well taken for many accidents though, as even better awareness and preparation on the part of the innocent in multicar crashes, could have reduced the severity. I hate to say it, but speed contributes to crashes when even traveling the speed limit may be too fast for an inexperienced driver in many conditions. I have always recommended too that regardless of the poor economics, it’s still worthwhile trading for a newer car you don’t technically need just for the newer safety features. Too many of us think we are invincible just because we haven’t had an accident when in reality, we may have just been lucky and never known it.
Bacause…
Like in military combat, to the foot soldier or in this case the driver, there seems to be no logic as to who gets it and who doesn’t. Sometimes, “I did everything right” still isn’t enough.

There are people out there who I call “Chronic Brakers” they’re constantly hitting the brakes and if you’re not extra vigilant and you’re unfortunant enough to get behind one of those idiots you’ll end up hitting them…I’m not saying the person who made this post does that, but I figured I’d mention it.

A freightliner from the early 60s required pulling the trailer brake chain and holding enough pressure on the chain to keep the trailer in line behind the tractor when applying the foot brake to stop the tractor. It gave a whole new meaning to paying attention to traffic. Maybe that lesson has stuck with me all these years.
but often today, my efforts to keep a comfortable space between me and the traffic ahead allows the Nuvolaris room to jump in and feel they are “winning” the race. I must be content to make it home each day without a wreck and not be concerned that some others took the lead and beat me 5 minutes.

One thing the cops will tell you about bright lights is that drunks make a beeline for them. That’s one reason traffic stops are so dangerous - all those flashy police car lights and the drunk aims straight at them, and if the cop is standing outside talking to the speeder, he gets hit. So increasing lighting won’t necessarily help. Keep your head on a swivel and know what everyone around you is doing so that you can see when some idiot is about to hit you, and already know where your escape routes are.

As Rod Knox mentioned, I too keep a good 2 car length distance between myself and the driver in front of me and occasionally I get some moron deciding to close the gap by pulling in front of me! I hate it when people do that! Anyway, about 3 years ago I was involved in an accident because someone about 3 cars ahead of me decided that instead of driving through a yellow light, he decided to slam on the brakes and of course it started a chain reaction and since I was the last one to approach the intersection, guess what? I rearended a Ford Expedition in my old 1999 Chevy malibu…The ford only had scratch in its bumper and I totally destroyed my front bumper and bent my hood up a bit and lost a headlight…luckily my airbags didn’t deploy otherwise my insurance company probably would’ve totaled my car and sent me a $1300 check in the mail because that’s all my car was worth. Luckily my old malibu didn’t sustain any frame damage either. And I was the only person injured too. Messed my shoulder up! But 18 months later I ended up buying a new car anway and now I’m extra careful.