Safe Following Distance???

Superbowl Winner?

  • < 0.5 seconds

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  • 0.5 seconds

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  • 1 second

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  • 3 seconds

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  • 4 seconds

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  • > 4 seconds

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  • Total voters
    1

SilverFox

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Did you know that you can reduce your driving stress? If you simply put a little distance between you and the car in front of you, the intense driving experience tones down and becomes very manageable – even enjoyable…

When I was taking drivers education, we were told to allow 1 car length for every 10 miles per hour. The current trend is to maintain a minimum of 2 seconds between you and the vehicle you are following. If road conditions change and the weather gets bad, you are suppose to increase that distance.

It is estimated that most people would be hard pressed to come to a full stop from 60 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds, and it would be more like 6 seconds. If we all gave everyone else a little more room, perhaps everyone would be less stressed.

Tom
 

gadget_lover

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Near Silicon Valley (too near)
I've found the same thing to be true. You also find fewer people cutting you off, since there is room between you and the next car.

Much of the stop and go driving on the freeway could be eliminated if people would allow extra room in the first place. That allows them to adjust for minor speed variations without having to slam on the brakes.

Daniel
 

Artie Choke

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Aug 5, 2001
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Big Island of Hawaii
It would be nice, but my theory is (at least in the bay area) that everyone is overly caffeinated and type-A personalities - they can't take it easy - they gotta push all the time and logic will never sway them - argh! Plus their parents forgot to teach them how to be courteous to others.

Not too mention it's way to densely populated here. Shrinks did an experiment with rats and once they reached a point where there was too much population for the space, their whole society broke down and aberrant behavior became the norm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... :)
 

SilverFox

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I was reading a study where the observed that the average distance between vehicles was 0.7 seconds. I don't remember if it was a reginal or national study (perhaps it was a Bay area study... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ), but it seemed to explain the high rate of rear end collisions.

Tom
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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I sincerly try for 3 seconds.

Only problem around Houston is someone will ALWAYS fill the space!

But I rage at dummies that compress up and cause stop & go rather than go slow.

I only get REALLY uncomfortable when it rains while I drive.
 

Lynx_Arc

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Tulsa,OK
Safest thing is to have a way out. If you cannot see ahead of you, around the driver in front and no free lane next to you on either side you need more room. I have had to leave less room in some cases because of idiots weaving in and out and stopping in front of you in the last second in slow traffic is worse than having to deal with a small space.
If someone is tailgating you have to leave room for both him and you to stop because he may not be paying attention to your braking and shove you into the car in front of you in a crisis. If you are following an 18 wheeler there is a chance he can stop faster than you can also. If you cannot see the road ahead there is always a small chance some debris will pop up unexpectedly causing a problem in an instant.

I like to have tons of space and either get ahead of the pack or behind it, not in it.
 

jhereg

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Sep 19, 2003
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Land of Oz (Dorothy, Toto,...
[ QUOTE ]
SilverFox said:
Did you know that you can reduce your driving stress? If you simply put a little distance between you and the car in front of you, the intense driving experience tones down and becomes very manageable – even enjoyable…

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately that doesn't seem to work very well around here. When I leave more than 2s I get cut off a lot more as people think there is plenty of space there. These same people seem to think a turn signal is a question, and the response is to speed up & cut you off. Cracker Jacks is doing a booming business in drivers licenses around here.
 

Lurveleven

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Bergen, Norway
In Norway the law tells you to hold at least 3 seconds distance, anything less and you can get a hefty fine (I have seen it as high as $1000), and you can even loose your drivers license for up to 6 months.

Btw, it normally takes one second before a driver notice a situation (e.g. the car in front braking/crashing) to he starts to brake. So if anything happens you are guaranteed to crash if your distance is near 1 second.

Sigbjoern
 

elgarak

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In Germany the 3 seconds is the rule of thumb you'll get to teached during the mandatory driving school. The "law" distance, under which you get fined, is actually a little bit less. The distance definitions are all based on reaction times and the distance the car still travels when full brakes are applied. The distance goes with the square of the speed and is pretty long for higher speeds.

I remember one German TV report, in which people have built a heads-up-display displaying a line where the bumper of the front car should be. Everyone who tried it, even safety-trained drivers, was amazed how far the distance should be at higher speeds.
 

mrsinbad

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May 30, 2003
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Nassau County, NY
How much time lag between my car and the one in front of me depends on how fast we are going... I allow for one second for every 10 MPH. The faster the speed, the greater the spread to allow for reaction time and slowdown distance.
 

Lurker

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I have always been a 2-3 second follower and am amazed at how virtually everyone else seems to be following like they are drafting in a NASCAR race. Maybe that is how people learn to drive - watching TV on Sunday afternoons.

In fact, I can't even allow 2 seconds in heavy freeway traffic because of the constant flow of drivers that are cutting in front of me. It becomes downright dangerous and I need to close to about 1 second in those cases. It also helps a lot to drive the same model car as the Highway Patrol (unfortunately got rid of mine recently and I get cut-off a lot more now).
 

SilverFox

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Here I thought I was doing pretty good with a 2 second gap. It appears that the folks in Norway and Germany are doing better. The poll seems to show that most people responding are in the 3 second area. It's time for me to slow down a little bit more...

Tom
 

Codeman

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Nov 26, 2004
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[ QUOTE ]
Lynx_Arc said:
Safest thing is to have a way out...

[/ QUOTE ]

That pretty much sums it all up. After the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in '96, the DoS's Bureau of Diplomatic Security gave us some training in evasive/defensive driving, bomb detection, and general security awareness. While it was geared towards avoiding terrorists, attacks, and abductions, I still practice those skills on the road. And they all boiled down to common sense applications of "leave yourself a way out" and "notice the unusual or out of place". Simply following those two rules, can greatly increase your security, no matter where you are.
 

Lurker

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[ QUOTE ]
SilverFox said:
most people responding are in the 3 second area. It's time for me to slow down a little bit more...

Tom

[/ QUOTE ]
And there is the funny thing about tailgating. You really don't have to drive any slower to observe a safe following distance. Whether you are 1 second behind or 3 seconds behind, you are still going exactly the same speed as the vehicle in front of you and you will still get to your destination at the same time.

I keep trying to explain this to my tailgating wife, but she is not convinced. She still *feels* like she is getting there faster when she tailgates, so that is reason enough.
 

IlluminatingBikr

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I have heard that you should be at least three seconds behind the car in front of you from a few sources. I think it is a commonly accepted standard. The 2005 California DMV drivers' handbook mentions keeping three seconds between you and the car in front of you. It also notes you should keep a four second (or more) gap between you and the car in front of you while being tailgated, or in poor driving conditions.
 

markdi

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Jun 27, 2003
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Portland Oregon
so at 60 mph you should be 88 yards or more(3 seconds)behind the next car.

sounds great but some one would tailgate me thinking I am going too slow.
 

danielo_d

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Jul 28, 2003
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Location
NorCal
I follow the 3 second rule.
I also prefer to be able to see ahead of the vehicle in front of me. That helps in reaction time. If I see brake lights ahead of the car, I slow down, sometimes before the car in front hits the brake.
That's why, I try to let the vehicles behind me see in front of me. I wish others would do that.
However, I do have some [ok alot of] bad driving habits. I won't get into that.
th_woah.gif


Danno
 

Paul_in_Maryland

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Mar 27, 2005
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Maryland, USA
Beacause of their zero latency, LED brake lights should allow the driver behind you to react more quickly if you must brake. Does anyone know of studies that confirm this?

I used to drive with my lights on on the slightest overcast day. Lately, though, I've come to realize that when I do so, only one new light illuminates when I brake. By leaving my lights off whenever conditions allow, I ensure that three lights illuminate each time I brake. I believe that this will make my braking more likely to be noticed. Anyone?
 
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