Maintaining the correct following distance is an essential part of driving safely. Yet a quick look around the streets on any given day will show that large swathes of motorists do not do this. They drive far too close to the vehicle in front.
One of the main reasons for this is probably that people have forgotten what a safe following distance is. Or they never knew in the first place.
At least 3 seconds
Three seconds is what driving safety experts recommend as the closest you should be to the vehicle in front. It is calculated for ideal conditions – meaning you, your vehicle, the road and the weather are all ideal. If anything is less than ideal, say the road is wet, there is dense fog, your brakes need servicing or you need to sleep, then you should increase the gap.
To measure three seconds, pick a roadside point and ensure you do not pass it until three seconds after the vehicle in front clears it. It will work just as well when stuck in heavy traffic as on a clear freeway.
What if someone follows you too closely?
Respecting a safe following distance is just part of the equation. You need other drivers to do the same with you. However, you cannot make another driver stay further back and you should not even try to because your attempts could make things worse.
Let’s say you hit your brakes to warn the person to stay back. If they are not paying attention they could run into you. Or your action might madden them and jeopardize your safety. If the police see you they could pull you over for dangerous driving.
If you don’t like how close someone is to you, your only option is to try and get out of their way. By not doing anything inappropriate yourself, you strengthen your case for compensation should a crash occur.