Following another car closely is never a good idea. Doing it on an onramp where they might unexpectedly stop is an even worse idea.
Never plan on other drivers doing anything correctly. Sure, we were all in the HOV lane with no light, but that doesn’t mean the confused driver in front of us won’t slam on the brakes because the merge light is red for the people that are using it.
That’s what happened here, anyway. Luckily the person in front of me was able to stop in time and not collide with the car, but they were really close.
