<\/p>\n

there are several ways of working out your stopping distance. one way is to multiply your speed by a certain factor that increases with your speed.<\/p>\n

so, for example, at 20mph, you multiply by 2 \u2013 giving you a stopping distance of 40ft. for 30mph, you multiply by 2.5, giving you 75ft \u2013 and so on, adding 0.5 for every extra 10mph of speed.<\/p>\n

however, this is too complicated to think about while you are driving \u2013 and anyway, this only tells you the distance you need to come to a complete stop. it doesn\u2019t take into account the fact that the car ahead is also moving.<\/p>\n

for these reasons, we need a better way to calculate a safefollowing distance<\/i><\/em> that doesn\u2019t rely on you doing calculations in your head as you drive.<\/p>\n

the two-second rule<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

the easiest and quickest way to calculate a safe following distance (the safe amount of distance between you and the car ahead of you) is to use the two-second rule.<\/p>\n

basically, the two-second rule states that you should stay a full two seconds behind the car in front of you, whatever speed you are traveling at.<\/p>\n

the reason the two-second rule works regardless of your speed is that the faster you travel, the greater the distance you cover in two seconds. this means that as your speed increases, the distance between you and the car ahead also needs to increase to leave the required two-second gap.<\/p>\n

the two-second rule also takes into account the fact that the car in front will need a certain distance to come to a stop, which gives you a little extra time.<\/p>\n

if you were traveling at 70mph and the car in front suddenly came to a complete stop on the spot, you would probably not be able to stop in time to avoid hitting it.<\/p>\n

however, in reality, this can\u2019t happen \u2013 unless, for example, the car in front went into the back of a stationary large truck and stopped dead. but even then, the two-second rule would give you a few valuable moments to react and avoid the accident yourself by taking evasive action.<\/p>\n

how to calculate the two-second distance<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

calculating a two-second gap between you and the car in front is extremely easy \u2013 which is why this method of judging distance is so useful and effective.<\/p>\n

as you are driving, simply take a point of reference up ahead. it could be anything \u2013 a lamppost, a tree or anything else by the side of the road.<\/p>\n

when the car in front passes the point of reference, you need to time two seconds and then make sure you don\u2019t pass the point of reference before two seconds are up.<\/p>\n

you can try to estimate two seconds in your head just by counting slowly \u2013 but a better way if you are not sure you can judge the time accurately is to say \u201cone-one-thousand-two-one-thousand\u201d at a normal speed. this will give you a better approximation of two seconds.<\/p>\n

if you find that you pass the point of reference in under two seconds, it means you are too close, and you should drop back a little. if it takes you more than two seconds, you are fine.<\/p>\n

the three-second rule<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

some experts consider a two-second distance to be the absolute minimum that you should allow but suggest that to be truly safe, you should apply the three-second rule instead. this means you allow an extra one second of distance on top of the two seconds to give yourself an extra margin of safety.<\/p>\n

whenever possible, we would advise following the three-second rule rather than the two-second rule. being cautious won\u2019t cost you anything since you will still be traveling at the same speed, but it may be the difference between having an accident and avoiding one.<\/p>\n

are there times when the three-second rule doesn\u2019t apply?<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

there are times when the three-second rule doesn\u2019t apply and when only leaving three seconds of distance between you and the car in front could still be dangerous.<\/p>\n

for example, in bad weather, you should consider leaving more than this minimum distance between you and the car in front.<\/p>\n

one example would be in moderate rain. in this case, you would be better advised to double the distance and use a \u201csix-second rule\u201d, counting to six before you pass the chosen point of reference.<\/p>\n

in very heavy rain, snow or icy conditions, you should leave a nine-second gap \u2013 and in these conditions, you should also consider driving much more slowly than would otherwise be the case.<\/p>\n

these guidelines are fairly self-evident since driving safely always involves adapting your driving to the conditions \u2013 but at least by calculating a six-second or nine-second stopping distance, you are ensuring you have plenty of time to pull up if something unexpected happens.<\/p>\n

the following table shows how allowing three- and six-second gaps between you and the car in front translates into the distance there should be between you and the car in front.<\/p>\n

the three-second rule chart<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

three-second rule<\/td>\n	safe interval should be<\/td>\n	3 seconds<\/td>\n	6 seconds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
speed<\/td>\n	distance traveled<\/td>\n	for these conditions<\/td>\n	good<\/td>\n	marginal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25 m.p.h.<\/td>\n	37 ft. per second<\/td>\n	卡塔尔世界杯全部赛程 ft.<\/td>\n	222 ft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
35 m.p.h.<\/td>\n	52 ft. per second<\/td>\n	166 ft.<\/td>\n	312 ft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
45 m.p.h.<\/td>\n	66 ft. per second<\/td>\n	198 ft.<\/td>\n	396 ft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
55 m.p.h.<\/td>\n	81 ft. per second<\/td>\n	243ft.<\/td>\n	486 ft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
65 m.p.h.<\/td>\n	96 ft. per second<\/td>\n	288 ft.<\/td>\n	576 ft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
75 m.p.h.<\/td>\n	卡塔尔世界杯全部赛程 ft. per second<\/td>\n	333 ft.<\/td>\n	666 ft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n	safe following distance in feet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n why you shouldn\u2019t tailgate<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n <\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n tailgating \u2013 driving too close to the car ahead of you \u2013 is a very dangerous practice, both for the tailgater and the car in front. unfortunately, many people still do it.<\/p>\n in fact, the likelihood that you will tailgate seems to be at least partly affected by factors including sex as well as the type of car you drive, as this table shows:<\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/caption>\n tailgating<\/strong><\/td>\n type of vehicle<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n sex of driver<\/td>\n family \/ economy cars<\/td>\n sports cars<\/td>\n suvs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n male<\/td>\n 13%<\/td>\n 23%<\/td>\n 18%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n female<\/td>\n 13%<\/td>\n 20%<\/td>\n 25%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n if you leave less than the recommended two or three seconds between you and the car you are following, you risk driving into the back of it if it stops suddenly.<\/p>\n tailgating can also feel very aggressive. if a driver is being followed too closely, it may make him or her feel pressured and even anxious. anxious, flustered drivers are more prone to mistakes or bad decisions, which could endanger both cars.<\/p>\n some drivers also react aggressively to tailgaters, in the same way that some people become angry when you invade their personal space. a common reaction to tailgating is to hit the brakes suddenly to flash the brake lights and cause the car behind to brake suddenly as well.<\/p>\n this is obviously a dangerous maneuver since the car behind might not react in time \u2013 or the sudden braking could cause a third car further back to run into the tailgater.<\/p>\n furthermore, tailgating and this kind of sudden braking to warn a tailgater off can easily cause one or both drivers to lose their cool, and this behavior can quickly lead to road rage, more dangerous driving and even a full-blown confrontation.<\/p>\n the advice is clear \u2013 don\u2019t tailgate. make sure you always leave at least two seconds of distance between you and the car in front, or even better, try to leave three. if someone is tailgating you, don\u2019t slam on the brakes. instead, slow down gradually and let them pass.<\/p>\n safe, defensive driving is always best<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n nobody wants to be involved in an accident, and the best way to avoid it is to always employ defensive driving techniques. part of this is leaving a safe distance between you and the car in front, and by applying the two- or three- second rule, you have an easy way to calculate this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" while everyone on the road should (in theory) have a valid driving license, unfortunately, not everybody has the same level of skill behind the wheel. nobody wants to be involved in a crash, so let\u2019s look at one important aspect of driving \u2013 what is a safe following distance? understanding \u201cstopping distance\u201d first, let\u2019s talk …read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[39],"tags":[],"yoast_head":" \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n