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Confusion over what is a "safe following distance" has QUT [(Queensland University of Technology)] road safety researchers calling for a standardised definition to prevent tailgating.
- Tailgating conclusively linked to rear-end crashes
- Most drivers leave less than a 2 second gap between them and the vehicle in front
- Rear-enders account for one in five Queensland crashes
Dr Sebastien Demmel, from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety -- Queensland (CARRS-Q), said the results of the study which found 50 per cent of drivers tailgate, was being presented at the 2017 Australasian Road Safety Conference in Perth today.
"This study, for the first time conclusively linked tailgating with rear-end crashes, but we also identified confusion among drivers over what is deemed to be a safe following distance," he said.
"Despite drivers perceiving they are following at a safe distance, our on-road data showed that in reality most don't leave the recommended two to three second gap," he said.
"At some locations 55 per cent of drivers were found to leave less than a two second gap between them and the vehicle in front, and 44 per cent less than a one second [gap]."
A safe following distance is 5 feet. While looking at a smartphone.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 13 2017, @02:06AM (4 children)
~1 large car length for every 10MPH is the rule.
2 car lengths at 80MPH is reckless. 2 car lengths at 10 MPH is probably too far back.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Friday October 13 2017, @05:36AM (2 children)
How long is one long car length?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Funny) by choose another one on Friday October 13 2017, @08:28AM
Depends on how fast you are going, relatively... :-)
(Score: 2) by Bot on Friday October 13 2017, @08:30AM
It's about two library of congress' bookshelves.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday October 13 2017, @03:37PM
Car lengths as a form of measurement doesn't work in this context. You count how many seconds it takes you to reach the same landmark after them, at speed. This should scale to any speed, assuming visibility is good enough.
I was taught 4 seconds, but apparently people are saying 2 now.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"