...it's an example of a common human driving behavior whose setup conditions lead to a high probability of collision if a peek-a-boo scenario were to manifest, namely by:

- obstructing the rear driver's ability to assess forward traffic conditions, especially if the leading vehicle is larger and/or has dark tinted glass; and

- posturing for insufficient clearance/time to safely react to an abrupt change in forward obstacle speed upon surprise discovery.

The tailgater pejorative is what drivers are most likely familiar with; implied risks are much easier to internalize when framing the scenario from this oft encountered context. It's just one possible path towards the conditions and outcomes being discussed, which is what really matters.

Sure, this might naively beg the question: Was the BlueCruise vehicle tailgating as a typical driver might characterize?

If yes, then the outcome should be unsurprising, and it makes me wonder how such an operating mode is even permitted.

If no, then it begs the even harder question of whether the automation tech is operationally mature enough to safely handle such a common known unknown.