Rear-End Collision Liability Due to Failure to Maintain Safe Following Distance

A driver, failing to observe required safety distances, collided with the rear of a preceding vehicle that had stopped on the roadway due to a mechanical failure, resulting in bodily injury to the driver of the stopped car, and the driver responsible for the collision appealed the finding of fault. The court upheld the decision against the striking driver, reasoning that the obligation to maintain a safe distance requires the driver to be able to stop without collision, even when the preceding vehicle is unexpectedly stopped, and thus the failure to maintain adequate distance constituted a fault under the relevant traffic regulations, irrespective of the preceding vehicle's stoppage.