I started doing this more and more the last couple years. Accidents in my area have more than doubled, and most of them are due to distracted driving. Heck, if people didn't lie so much, i'd venture to say 98% of them are due to distracted driving.

Also my state is a no fault state and if your insurance company deems you even slightly responsible, you gotta pay or your premiums go up. So it's best to just keep that extra 5-8 feet in front of you for cushion.