You said you were 30 in an earlier post. 1978 was 38 years ago. Not calling you a liar or anything, just wanted to point out that your math has some problems. If you really did get your license in 1978, and likely you would have been 18 to get a job as a professional driver back then, that'd make you around 56 now.
I don't know how many miles you've got on any cars because I've never seen you or any of your vehicles. I'll just accept that you've stated the above. FWIW, I put 82K miles on my '06 Ninja that I bought in '09. That's mainly commuting plus some multi-state road trips.
I don't have a fantasy world as such. I do enjoy reading fantasy, but generally in that world there's generally more swords and magic and less trucking and traffic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailgating
Even more information, with math!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assure...Distance_Ahead
Which leads to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-second_rule "...has been shown to considerably reduce risk of collision, and also the severity of an accident, if an accident occurs. It also helps to avoid tailgating and road rage for all drivers."
I disagree with your personal opinion that 1 second is not tailgating. You can disagree with the math, but you certainly can't deny the math. Physics and biology doesn't care one whit about your opinion of your own abilities.
You fall into the first category of tailgaters, "
Negligence":
Tailgating can occur because of a lack of perceived risk in so doing. Thus, it is done unconsciously or negligently, very often by people who consider themselves safe drivers and generally obey the other rules of the road. Evidence shows that more experienced drivers are more likely to be involved in rear-end collisions, possibly because they overestimate their skill and become complacent about allowing sufficient distance to avoid an accident.
VaFish falls into the second category, "
Coercion":
In its most uncivic form, it can be a case of road rage and/or intimidation. An example would be where the tailgating driver (the driver in the following vehicle) threatens damage to the leading vehicle and its occupants by driving aggressively — perhaps also with use of headlights and horn — to bully the leading vehicle's driver to get out of the way.
Some thoughts about reactions and aging:
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyc...&ContentID=562
What lessons should I learn from being hit by a tailgater? Or from a person turning onto my side of the road and hitting me head-on while I was stopped at a stop sign? Or swerving across a shoulder into the entrance lane (and my mirror blind spot) and sideswiping me? Or deliberately swerving into me then filing a fraudulent claim against my insurance? (After viewing the video of that one my insurance company told them to go pound sand, lol.) I've never rear-ended anyone, though back in my younger days when I was like you I had plenty of close calls. The lesson I learned was not to tailgate. Maybe you'll learn that one before it's too late.
And I don't hate the people that crashed into me, thus rejecting your claim otherwise. They made mistakes, their insurance companies paid me handsomely for their driver's mistakes, and I would hope they learned a lesson and changed the way they drive. I would, though, gladly trade all that money for the ability to go to sleep and wake up without pain. But the life I have is the life I have, best to make the best I can of it rather than be bitter about what could have been but for the bad driving decisions of other drivers.
And I'll end with this one question: Would you promise to maintain a minimum 2 second following distance behind motorcyclists? I have asked nothing of you at all before, and I promise this is all I would ask of you now or in the future.