It’s never too late to purge oneself of ignorance. This would only be the case if I run into a long line of stopped cars and cause the chain reaction. In that case, yeah, I’m responsible for all the collisions ahead of me that occurred because of my impact.
But if first car stopps to avoid squishing a kitten crossing the road, car # 2 stops safely behind #1, then car #3 hits #2–#3 is responsible for damage to #2. #4 comes along and smacks #3, pushes #3 into #2 and #2 into #1–#4 is responsible for the new damage and any aggravation to the other cars already smashed, etc. It’s all about what damage your car did. 70 car pileups that happen in the fog and then get a fuel tanker to ignite…those are a pain in the butt to sort out. Often what happens is everybody’s policy pays for their own damages and then the insurance companies put their heads together and work out the details as best they can so the customers don’t have to wait years for a settlement. fun time is usually had by all.