Sure....and if you were the 18 wheeler, you would give the proper stopping distance to the car in front of you, but it would be up to the person behind you to make sure they give you the same birth from behind. If they are on your (the 18 wheelers) ass, they would be causing traffic.

This isn't meant to be a license to speed up it someone is riding your ass, it's a rule that if EVERYONE followed, it would dramatically cut traffic jams.