Originally Posted by
crispy010
Braking is not the correct response in this hypothetical situation. The correct response is to go to one side or the other of the car that just slammed on their brakes. When you do this, it is very important to not touch your brakes. If you slam on your brakes and try to do this, you can roll your car, especially one with a higher COG. Avoid, don't brake.
rolling an SUV or tall vehicle is possible (or anything if your tire pressures are low enough to roll over off the rim, check your tires!), but if you're tailgating that close to begin with, do you have enough room to react and turn your car enough to miss the one in front of you (then steer back so you're going the right direction). I assumed you wouldnt, and thats my definition of tailgating, following so close that your avoidance options are limited.
Of course, hoping that the typical driver knows the correct response is probably not safe. I would expect them to hit the brakes and swerve, which could end badly for the brake-checker. If I'm being tailgated, I'll either accelerate and move over or increase my following distance.