ALWAYS HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE!
Look at them all, stopped for a light. Helpless beings. Got themselves into the ubiquitous trap. Some unsuspecting. Some watching nervously their rear view mirror. Where do they go from here should the car approaching from the rear not stop in time, be on the phone, or asleep? They can not escape because they are too close to the vehicle stopped ahead.
Always have an escape route. A plan. At all stops, stop a car length behind the vehicle in front. When stopped, you must see a few feet of street between your hoodline and their rear tires. Never be closer than this but not either much further behind which would confound the driver behind who would not expect you to stop further back.
With this one car cushion at stops, you will have the room to turn quickly, accelerate away. If you need to go over the grass or sidewalk to do this, do so (absent pedestrians there). Take out a sign if you must. Your tires can traverse easily over a curb if they hit the curb at an angle (a perpendicular hit is much tougher).
Know this: a rear end collision can be fatal. Episodes happen in which the gas tank explodes upon a rear impact. Whiplash, broken seat backs can also result.
When the vehicle ahead leaves when the light turns green, leave the same time but just a bit slower to reestablish the space cushion you should always have when driving.
