Data for Sydney Region shows that 28 % of crashes are from a REAR END.
More then half of these result in injury – 54%.

To be more specific, last year in Sydney there were 7933 rear end crashes which resulted in 7 fatalities and 4249 serious injuries.

In Auburn and Parramatta Local Government area almost every third crash is from the rear end
and every second rear end crash results in injury.
Young drivers have been involved in almost every third rear end crash.

Most of these crashes could have been avoided had the 3 SECOND GAP been maintained!

So what's happening when you see the brake lights of the car in front of you just came on…
You will hit the brake to slow down your car…
BUT, there is a small time delay before you really do that – your reaction time.

During that period of time, your car is still moving at the same speed out of your control.
The faster you are going, the further you will travel during this time

The total stopping distance is made of: Reaction Distance and Braking Distance

The biggest factor in stopping distances is the speed at which
a driver reacts to seeing a hazard – DRIVER REACTION TIME

Response speed depends on several factors thus there is no single, universal reaction time value.

Factors that affect reaction time are: expectation, urgency, mental load, psychological refractory period, age, nature of the signal, visibility, response complexity, time of the day.

Braking time and distance depends on factors such as: the type of braking system, brake pad material, brake alignment, tyre pressure, tread and grip, vehicle weight, suspension system, the coefficient of friction of the road surface, wind speed, slope of road, surface smoothness, the braking technique applied by the driver, weather conditions.

So, stopping distances vary according to driver conditions, road and weather conditions and vehicle conditions.

But drivers need to recognise that:
No matter how good a driver you think you are and how ever good your car is,
the difference between driving at the speed limit and a few km/h over the limit
will result in a much longer stopping distance. That could result in fatal consequences.