Under the “sudden emergency” or “imminent peril” doctrine, “a person who, without negligence on his part, is suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with peril, arising from either the actual presence, or the appearance, of imminent danger to himself or to others, is not expected nor required to use the same judgment and prudence that is required of him in the exercise of ordinary care in calmer and more deliberate moments.  The doctrine focuses on the situation that confronted the defendant, not on whatever peril the defendant’s conduct thereafter created for the plaintiff.  So, here, the sudden peril doctrine applied, relieving the defendant of liability because he confronted a sudden peril of a car stopped in his lane of a freeway a short distance ahead.  The defendant quickly changed lanes, but thereby created a similar peril for the driver behind him who didn’t see the stopped vehicle until too late.  Though defendant’s conduct may have created a peril for plaintiff, the sudden peril doctrine relieved defendant of liability since he, too, confronted a sudden peril.