Stopping distances and the 2 second rule

By Alicia Jarvis
Updated on July 28, 2021

Contents

When should you leave a two-second gap between your vehicle and the one in front?

When it’s dry – A driver should maintain a gap of at least two seconds from the automobile in front in good, dry situations. This should give you adequate room to stop if the car in front of you has to brake unexpectedly.

 

Why should you keep your distance from drivers in front and behind?

Drivers getting too close to the vehicle in front can cause a traffic accident.

Every motorist must be able to judge a safe separation distance in all road, traffic, and weather conditions. How far should you keep from the vehicle in front of you? You should ideally be no closer than the whole stopping distance that corresponds to your speed.

In heavy, slow-moving metropolitan traffic, this may not be feasible because you risk squandering important road space. Even so, the space should never be less than your thinking distance — and should be much more if the road is wet and treacherous. In good, dry conditions, a one-metre distance for every mph of speed is a decent rule to follow. A 55-metre separation, for example, would be adequate at 55 mph (88 km/h).

In poor weather, leave at least double the distance. The ‘two-second rule’ is a good technique for judging one metre per mph.

 

How to measure your distance from drivers in front? 

  1. Select a visible stationary landmark ahead of you, such as a bridge, a tree, or a road sign.
  2. When the vehicle in front of you passes the landmark, tell yourself, “Only a fool breaks the two-second rule.”
  3. If you get to the landmark before you finish saying it, you’re too near to the vehicle in front of you and need to back up.

Driving too close to the vehicle in front of you is a major cause of accidents. You should avoid such occurrences by looking ahead, keeping a safe distance, and allowing yourself enough time to react.

 

What to do when the vehicle behind driving too close to you?

When a vehicle behind you is driving too close to you, gently relax off the pedal and increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front. This will give you more time to react if the driver ahead slows or stops abruptly.