Small decisions that people make frequently while driving have a direct impact on their overall safety. Choices like whether to pick up a cell phone to read incoming messages and the speed a driver maintains can influence their likelihood of getting into a crash.
Drivers need to establish and consistently reinforce positive habits to diminish their chances of causing serious motor vehicle collisions. They should avoid distractions, follow relevant road rules and consistently use their turn signals to communicate with others in traffic.
One of the most important choices drivers make has to do with how much space they leave between their vehicle and others on the road. Staying out of the blind spots of big vehicles like school buses and semi-trucks is important, but so is the consistent maintenance of an appropriate following distance.
How much space do people need to leave between their vehicles and others in traffic?
Following distance depends on road conditions
Most safety professionals recommend a three-second following distance in standard road conditions. However, there are certain circumstances in which increasing that following distance is a smart decision.
Late at night when visibility is low, leaving a little extra space can give people an opportunity to react effectively to the maneuvers of others in traffic. During times of inclement weather, including rainfall and snow storms, it is often advisable to double the standard following distance.
People may also want to increase the space that they leave between their front bumper and another vehicle’s rear bumper by a few seconds whenever the road is wet. Wet pavement can be dangerous even when there is no active precipitation falling.
Other debris on the road, ranging from sand to falling leaves, can also make an increased following distance a smart decision. Drivers operating particularly heavy vehicles or pulling a trailer may also need to increase their following distance for optimal safety.
Drivers who consistently maintain a safe following distance are less likely to end up blamed for causing a car crash. Yet, even the most vigorous personal safety standards can’t eliminate car crash risk. Having a plan to respond to a crash caused by another driver can be nearly as valuable as trying to avoid causing one.