To hold the other person liable for negligent driving, you must prove the following:
That driver owed you a duty of care. This standard will be easily met since you were driving on public roadways.
The other driver breached this duty by behaving unreasonably or not following local traffic laws. Drivers that tailgate other vehicles are clearly breaching this duty of care.
You were injured in that accident. This may take the form of a head, neck, back, or spine injury caused by the whiplash motion of a typical rear-end tailgating accident, or it could involve broken bones, airbag injuries, lacerations, disfigurement, paralysis, or other injury.