First off, for both of you: We need to remove the emotion, and drama. Then we'll look at FACTS. Agreed? Excellent.
Let's use math, since no one gets emotional or dramatic over math, right?
Let's 1st convert MPH to FPS (feet per second) by multiplying speed X 1.467 (actually 1.46667, but who's counting?).
At 60 mph, a two second following distance equates to 176 feet. At 55, two seconds equates to 161.37 feet. Kind of hard to call that "tailgating".
According Swampratt's new collegiate dictionary:
Tailgate: \ˈtāl-ˌgāt\
transitive verb
1) To ride directly on one's ass.
Now, .merriam-webster defines it a little more vague, subjective if you will.
intransitive verb
1) to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle.
Either way, following at a distance of more than half the length of a football field is in no way tailgating. Unwise, for an extended period of time? Certainly. Unlawful, for a limited amount of time? No. Dangerous? Depends on a variety of variables.
We can talk about all the benefits of a larger following distance, if you'd like. I'm all in with that. But let's stick with facts and skip the drama.