The law requires that you watch out for the car in front of you no matter what the circumstances. But how do you watch cars in front of you and behind you at the same time?

The best thing is not to try. At an intersection, simply stop and wait for the car ahead to pull away completely. Then you will only have to worry about cars behind you.

On a freeway entrance ramp, of course, you should keep moving. Use the outside rearview mirror to help you check traffic on the freeway. This lets you shift your attention back and forth between traffic behind and traffic ahead. Be sure, however, to turn your head and check over your left shoulder before you actually pull out onto the freeway.

The driver of Car One was partly at fault for the accident. He should have used the entrance ramp and/or the acceleration lane to adjust his speed so that he could merge onto the freeway just ahead of Car 3, or just behind it. By coming to a stop, he exposed himself to the danger of being hit from behind. Stopping at the end of the ramp also would have forced him to pull onto the freeway at a very slow speed. He could have found another car bearing down on him before he could build up speed.

The driver of Car Three also helped cause the accident by staying in the right lane. If he had moved to the left lane, Car One would never have had to stop. He could also have slowed down for Car One. Because the left lane was clear, a lane change would have been better. Drivers on an entrance ramp can see you changing lanes more easily than they can see you slow down. A lane change also allows more than one car to enter.

Rule Number 1: When you are moving in traffic, never take your eyes off the road ahead for more than an instant. When you are entering a freeway, use the outside mirror to watch traffic on the main roadway.

Rule Number 2:  When entering a freeway, use the entrance ramp and/or acceleration lane to build up to the speed of traffic on the roadway. Do not come to a stop at the end of the entrance ramp.