Safe Speed Forums

you can probably do it from a spy satellite if the cloud cover isn't too bad

but again.... what's the offence ?
i suspect nothing is defined as objectively as the speed limit.

Thanks Zippo for your views although I cannot say I agree with all of them.Of course there is a safe traveling distance but the problem is there are too many drivers that don't know or don't bother to keep one.They give stupid excuses for not keeping one.
You say is there visibility beyond the vehicle in front.That is not a factor if something suddenly happens to that vehicle and you are too close you will hit it because you are not keeping a safe distance.Also traveling too close to a vehicle you can see beyond not only compromises safety but can intimidate the driver of that vehicle.
You also say the 2 second rule is a good baseline for inexperienced drivers.Does it not apply to experienced drivers as well?I just hope you are referring to cars and not trucks with your theories.
Remember the 2 second gap is a minimum and not a normal one.
Sorry but there are too many complacent drivers on our roads that think it wont happen to them until it does.

If you get a spare half hour one day, it's interesting to sit on a motorway bridge and try timing the gaps between vehicles. Depending on traffic conditions, hardly any of them actually leave 2 seconds. Often, it can be half that! Yet the accidents are nothing like as common as that would suggest. Now I'm in no way encouraging maintaining only a 1 second gap, but if everyone DID leave a 2 second gap, I think there would be few pile-ups / rear-end shunts. That makes me think the "2-second" rule isn't that bad, to be honest.

I've found that when tailgaited, I increase the gap( in front), but when traffic in front stops, I brake harder than necessary,early, release and move up to the traffic. I sit and watch the face in the mirror as realisation strikes. Seldom have I had to do this more than once. Other than that, best advice is to let the problem get in front. The not so aware driver wil wake up to the first case - any other idiot- let them past, to have their accident with someone else .

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Hi jack272

I'm not quite sure what all you find objectionable about my "theories", are you saying that 2 seconds is always a safe minimum gap under all circumstances?

I said "Safe following distance varies, it ain't ever a set value for all". Do you disagree with that? if so why?



I think it is quite appropriate and acceptable practice to temporarily close the gap while preparing for an overtake, one of the factors determining if it is appropriate to do so and how far to safely close the gap will IMO be partly determined by the ability to see beyond the vehicle in front or not.

I know my theories work in real life driving, I've been driving for 40 years, quite a few of those as a professional driver. I've driven delivery vans, recovery vehicles, and all classes of HGVs (class 1 HGVs nearly every working day for about 8 years), I have never ever run into the vehicle in front. in fact I have never had a collision with another vehicle while driving professionally. Over that period of time and soooo many miles, I can't see that being pure luck.

As an experiment I estimated my following distance time on the A82 on Friday night. When following a car with no intention to overtake. My gap was generally around 4 seconds with my dipped headlight cut off well behind the vehicle in front. If I was preparing to overtake in the same conditions I would almost certainly close that gap some prior to doing so.

I would likely not consider a 2 second gap sufficient if being followed very closely behind.
I would likely not consider a 2 second gap sufficient while driving in icy conditions.
I would likely not consider a 2 secong gap sufficient while driving an ancient unladen van in the wet.
I would likely not consider a 2 secong gap sufficient if I thought the vehicle behind wanted to overtake.

I might consider a less than 2 second gap to be appropriate and safe while preparing to overtake.

I do think experienced drivers ought to be able to judge a safe following distance according to condtions without necessarily thinking about it in terms of seconds. By experienced I mean drivers who have achived a reasonable level of competency, not just those who have merely been driving for a long time.

I do believe you have made an assuption that when I said "There is no "safe" distance" you think I am advocating that smaller than 2 second gaps are always safe ..... that isn't what I said or meant.

_________________
You only need two tools - WD40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape. :0)

Hmmm... tailgating, one of my pet hates.

I'm not a slow driver. (Despite the display name I'm not a maniac either, I'm just a huge Top Gear fan!) But sometimes I'll have some idiot mouth-breather crawling up my exhaust pipe, usually when I'm "following through" another car on a motorway overtake, eg I'm in lane 3 overtaking a pair of HGVs, the guy in front of me isn't in a hurry... and the guy behind me is trying to make sweet love to my exhaust pipe.

Like, dude... I can't go anywhere! Half the time I'm tempted to say something like "when I get my exhaust replaced I'll give you this one so you can marry it."

_________________
Some say his first name really is "The"... and that his left eye is, in fact, a testis. All we know is... he's called The Stig!