Not huge gaps, but ones large enough to move around the vehicle in front of you without having to back up. This gap doesn’t have to be large. Some people stop short because they stop paying attention and the car in front of them creeps up. Some people stop short so they can do something (dial a number, eat something) before the light goes green.
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE A GAP IN FRONT OF YOUR VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF YOU FOR EMERGENCIES AND IN CASE YOU NEED TO MOVE TO THE SIDE FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND/OR EMERGENCY ESCAPES.
This is probably the 3rd time it has been mentioned here… by me… but if there is an ambulance coming up behind you, and you are on the ass of the car in front of you and the car behind you is on your ass… none of you have anyplace to pull over to get out of the way. Now if the car in front of you stalls… and the car behind you is on your ass… where are you going to go? Nowhere. You are relying on the vehicles around you to let you move. Dumb move. I’ve seen accidents avoided, and avoided one of my own by having the “cushion of saftey” in front of my vehicle because I was at least slightly mobile while at a stop. You can pull up, back up (if the guy behind you follows suit) and or swerve around the vehicle in front of you. If a car is approaching to quickly from the rear, and is not going to stop in time, move up the 4’ in front of you to give her some extra space to stop/.