In the 1980s, on interstate five in Pico Rivera, California, I came across a similar problem. I was in the far lane and a car came down an on-ramp and moved over across the lanes to be in front of me. Another car came on the freeway and came up beside the first car, at the same speed, with one lane between them. Suddenly the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. I figured this was going to be one of those things where I was supposed to rear-end the car in front of me, and they would sue me. So I sped up and shot right between the two cars and kept going. It was sometime after midnight when this happened and I was a woman driving alone at age 27 or so. I do not think I’m gifted with any great level of situational awareness, but I do have a heck of a guardian angel.
High security drivers always leave escape space between theirs and the car in front. They trust no one, especially that little old lady on a walker crossing the street in front of them, lol. They keep an eye on mirrors as much as what’s in front. One told me that when a car in front of him stopped short at a light, he realized that the car behind him wasn’t going to stop. So he veered off the road, and the car behind him crashed into the car that was in front of him.