Space to the front
The safety space in front is the easiest one for you to control. You can adjust the gap between yourself and the vehicle in front by simply varying your speed.
If you regularly get a close up view of large vehicles (or slow vehicles for that matter!) you need to develop the skill of maintaining a safe gap. Keeping a safe gap is not just about being able to stop, it's about being able to see.
The picture on the right was taken from a car travelling at about 15mph. The driver has kept back for three reasons.
- To leave a safe stopping distance (especially as the view ahead is severely limited)
- To get a view of the road ahead by looking underneath the vehicle in front
- To maximise space as he enters a narrow section of road over a bridge
Your forward safety gap must always be large enough for you to stop safely if necessary; an easy way to maintain this gap on a dry road is to use the 'two-second rule'.
Two Second Rule
The two-second rule was shown in the news video in Step 2. Applying this rule is easy. First, watch the vehicle ahead pass a static marker point. A tree, a phone box, a lamp-post, a motorway bridge or any other fixed reference point.
As the vehicle passes the fixed point, recite the following phrase at a normal speaking rate:
'Only a fool breaks the two-second rule'
This should take approximately two seconds to say.
You should have finished the phrase as, or before, you reach the fixed reference point.
If you pass the point before you finish speaking, you are too close to the vehicle in front; pull back and try again.
In poor weather conditions your gap should be at least double.
As the vehicle passes the fixed point, recite the following phrase at a normal speaking rate:
'Only a fool breaks the two-second rule' This should take approximately two seconds to say.
Again, you should have finished the phrase as, or before, you reach the fixed reference point.
Initially the gap might seem to you to be very large – if this is the case, it's indicative of the fact that up to now, you have been driving dangerous close and trusting 'good luck' to keep you alive.
Tyres and tarmac
The two-second-rule will help you to maintain a safe distance when your car is moving, but you must also consider the gap to the front when you stop in traffic queues.
- What if the car in front rolls back?
- What if your foot slips off the clutch?
- What if you are facing down hill and your handbrake fails?
If you always leave enough room to steer around the vehicle in front the gap should be big enough for any eventuality (about 2 metres).
An easy way to measure this for yourself is to use the 'tyres and tarmac' rule. When stopped behind another vehicle you should be able to see its rear tyres and some of the road surface
Next: Step 4 - a safe space to the rear.