Who is to blame?

[osprey]

If you are hit by a car behind you and the force of the impact means that you hit the car in front of you then who does the driver of the car that you hit claim off - is it you or the car that hit you?

[R1Geezer]

You both claim off the Guy that hit you up the jaxy.

[Myriad2112]

I was shunted into another car and was concerned that I might have to claim off my own insurance as I hadn't got my handbrake on. Geezer is right we all claimed off the man at the back of the pileup.

[gouldc]

If it was only the impact that shunted you into the car in front (ie you had stopped completely, handbrake on, etc), then the fault is entirely down to the person who struck you in the rear.

Any insurer will ask all parties involved how many impacts they felt, etc, and the engineering evidence will tell the true story in disputed cases.

There cannot be liability assigned to you for being too close to the vehicle in front if you were stationary at the time - who realistically leaves a car length between them when sat in traffic

[PAUL55]

When I was young and wreckless, I hit the back of a car in a que at traffic lights which inturn hot the car in front and so on until half a dozen cars were damaged. They all claimed off my insurance. I haven't had an accident since as that was enough to last a lifetime.