Yes - one of the best pieces of advice I was given was to watch not the brake-lights of the car directly ahead of me, but the brake-lights of the car two or three cars ahead of me, so that I'll have more reaction time for what's coming up and be able to respond more evenly.

Also (and this drove my father nuts until the time I used it) I keep a substantial cushion between me and the car ahead of me if we're stopped in traffic. This way if a car behind me looks as though they're coming too fast I can take my foot of the brake and roll to avoid being rear-ended. The timing is crucial, and I'm weird for scanning my rear-view mirror rather than ahead of me when stopped, but in DC you never know what those crazies are gonna do.