When driving, you need to maintain a safe following distance between you and the vehicle ahead. Doing this gives you enough space and time to respond if the lead driver slows down or stops. If you are very close and the other driver’s speed changes, you may crash into them.
Besides, with adequate distance, you can have a better view of the road and surrounding traffic and, in turn, can react accordingly soon.
So, what is a safe following distance? And how can you calculate it?
A two-second time delay
According to New Jersey law, a 2-second time delay is considered the minimum distance between vehicles in good weather. This means if the rear end of the car ahead passes a stationary object, such as a road sign or tree, it should take two seconds before the front of yours passes the same object.
You can time yourself by counting, “one thousand one, one thousand two.” If you pass the object before you finish counting, you should slow down, as you are following the other driver too closely.
The more you drive, the more you develop a natural sense for maintaining a safe following distance – you may not need to consciously keep counting.
When should this distance be increased?
The two-second time delay may not be sufficient in certain situations. These include when driving in harsh weather, heavy traffic and poor road conditions. You should also increase the safe following distance when driving behind large vehicles, such as a bus or truck, as they need more time to stop.
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