Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is calling on drivers to try out the ‘two-second rule’ and ensure they’re not putting lives at risk by tailgating. The advice comes amid concern that too many motorists are simply unaware of the distance they need to stop safely in an emergency.
“Drivers regularly place being tailgated up there at the top of the list of annoying, unpleasant and dangerous things they experience on the road,” he says.
“Imagine a sudden problem ahead of you on a motorway or dual carriageway. According to the Highway Code, if you're driving at 70mph you will need a minimum of 96 metres to come to a stop. This relies on your being alert and able to react immediately to the problem you’ve spotted ahead. Any sort of distraction will compromise that ability, meaning you will continue driving towards the problem at more than 60 metres per second.
“The two-second rule is a great guide, and it works because it’s time-based, not distance-based. There’s flexibility that matches your speed, so it doesn’t mean carrying a spreadsheet of distances and speeds around in your head. You should note as the vehicle in front passes a fixed point, such as a tree or lamp-post. Then you say ‘Only a fool breaks the two-second rule.’ If you are still speaking when you pass the same fixed point, then you are following too close.
Stay safe with these tips:
Do you know your stopping distances?
Use the table on the left and have a go
S=Speed
TD= Thinking distance
BD= Breaking distance
OSD = Overall stopping distance
Scroll down for the answers
Keep scrolling down
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