The other reply aludes to this, but it's very simple
The easiest way to cause an accident is to behave in an unexpected way
Leave a gap when no one else is? People will cut into the gap and put you and others at risk.
Brake early to increase the space you have? People not paying attention will rear end you expecting you to have braked later.
Drive slower than most traffic to give yourself more reaction time? People will pass you unsafely, and you again run the risk of being rear ended since going slower than people expect is a similar outcome to them coming across an unexpected obstacle.
That's why we see fully autonomous vehicles getting in so many not-at-fault accidents. The most experienced drivers realize there are a lot of unspoken conventions that, for better or worse, people rely on to get from place to place.
Sometimes those backfire like in that pile up, but this isn't really something you fix by being the only person doing otherwise.
You'll quickly find that you're putting yourself at the mercy of other drivers (and yes you won't be at fault, but not being at fault never saved someone in an ICU)