what will be the distance between two cars travelling on a highway

[alsayyed]

Hello every one I am curious use about keep distance between two cars. If you are driving on highway at rate of 65 mph what is the distance should be between your car and the front car on major highway?.
What is the distance should be if you are driving on the city?.
Is there any law regarding the two cases I have mentioned.

[gary]

I try to stay one car length away from the car in front for every ten miles an hour . Sisty-five would be six and a half car lengths or about 120 feet.  Yes there are laws about folling to close behind the car in front of you.

[Ianab]

The rule of thumb here in NZ is 2 seconds
Doesn't matter what speed you are going, you should be 2 seconds behind the car in front.
When the car in front passes a mark on the road start counting 'one thousand one, one thousand two', if you have passed the same mark you are too close.
The idea is that your reaction time to start braking is about 1.6 seconds, so if the guy in front slams on the brakes and you are less than 1.6 secs behind, you are going to hit him. So the 'rule' works for any speed.

If the road is wet and or otherwise slippery go with 4 seconds.

What your local law says may be different, but the 2 second rule should stop you rear ending the guy in front of you.

Cheers

Ian

[TexasTimbers]

I always try to stay close enough to the people in front of me, like touching, so that if I rear-end them no damage can occur. 

Tailgaiting is a pet peeve of mine. I have always thought that we should rig up some sort of high pressure nozzle that can spray a mist of oil or black paint on the perpetrators windshield; or maybe an egg canon. Tailgaters really bring out that Christian brotherly love in me 

[Qweaver]

We live south of Houston and regularly travel back and forth to W.Va. which takes us thru lots of cities.  If you try to leave a reasonable distance between cars in heavy traffic, someone will always pull into that space and take away your safety zone.  So I just try to leave just as much space as I can without inviting another car to make the situation more dangerous by dodging in and out. Traffic in Houston will often be rolling along at 65-70 MPH with very little space between vehicles.  Your choice is to do what everone else is doing or drive miles out of the way to go around the entire city.  I've never had an accident in a large city but I've seen plenty and I drive with extreme care always looking for a way out if S*** hits the fan.
Quinton

[thedeeredude]

I follow what looks good, usually 3-4 seconds, unless I'm late for work

[beenthere]

2 seconds is what I learned in 'Defensive Driving" course, but I hear nowadays that the 3 or 4 seconds is preached.  But the use of cell phones while driving probably is where the longer time is thrown in   
But when getting into traffic, even 2 seconds will invite others to fill in that space. The space changes depending on traffic, whether two lane or four lane, and what locality one is in will have a big effect on the spacing. 

[slowzuki]

I use the 4 seconds cause if theres some good tunes on or "interesting" sights to see it can take a second or two to notice the car in front stopping

[sawguy21]

I get really nervous with tailgaters. I almost got run over by a transport truck when a car made a turn in front of me. Tapping the brake pedal just enough to flash the lights often gets their attention although that could create havoc in heavy traffic.

[alsayyed]

I thank you all for your different opinion replies. From the information gathered I have found out that there is no standard rule regarding keeping the distance between two cars. In our case in Qatar almost the same as some replies. In our case except that we have tremendous tail gait which is unbelievable and accidents by hundreds. Incase of keeping fair amount few meters between two cars suddenly you end up with stupid driver pushes his car through. But in case off running through red light the penalty is $ 3280
 

[RichlandSawyer]

As far as tailgating goes i have developed a system were distance and speed are "directly proportional" as the distance between my rear bumper and the tailgaters front bumper reduces. my speed reduces accordingly. I'd rather get a finger or two than get i bumper up the kazoo!!

[sawguy21]

The risk there is having the jerk get mad and pull out into oncoming traffic.

[CHARLIE]

When I was learning to drive back in the late '50s, I was taught the "one car length per every 10 mph" just like Gary does.  I find that has served me well over the years.  I also have had people zip into my safety zone and I usually just back off from them too.......unless they get me mad, then I'll honk my horn real good  before dropping back.  When the conditions are slippery, I pretty much double my distance from the other drivers if I can because I really don't want to hit my brakes and lose control.  Usually, common sense and courtesy should be the rule.   

Tailgating is also a pet peeve.  What I do during the daytime is......turn on my lights. That causes the tail lights to come on and the tailgater thinks it's brakes and they usually drop back fast.   

[Tom]

Charlie and I must've been taught by the same folks.  I use a car length for every 10 mph too.  Sometimes I find that it isn't enough.   There are crazy folks out there today who believe that they are on a super speedway.  They dive in and out of traffic and "draft" cars and trucks.  When I'm in my Kodiak, I have times when someone is completely hidden from view.  Some of them will even get within 5 or 6 feet, maybe less, to the back of my sawmill trailer.  Now, that's scary.  Most of perpetrators, I've found, are young women in their teens and early twenties.  Most of the guys stay back.  If it's a guy tailgating the sawmill, it's usually one of those little cars with 20" wheels, spinning hubcaps and a ground clearance of about 6 inches.

There is also the other end of the extreme in that we experience some of the most disrespectful and aggressive drivers who have CDL's and drive Chip Trucks and container trailers.  It's not unusual to find your entire rear widow filled with radiator, and the show of "Tasmanian Devil" type teeth drawn on the top and bottom.  These big trucks will bunch up and tailgate each other.  It's quite unnerving to find yourself boxed in the right lane with "professional" drivers  all the way around.

I have a dream......!   I want to develop a canister for the back of my truck or car that could be attached somewhere around the rear axle.  This would be filled with some of the foulest smelling liquid that man could devise. I wouldn't want it to be caustic, just smelly.  I would put it under pressure or feed it through a pump that would atomize it into such a fine mist that it couldn't be seen.  There would be a button on my dash that would actuate a solenoid that would open and close the valve that would disperse it.   Anyone who was close enough behind my truck that I couldn't see their headlights would be fair game.

I actually went so far as hiring a fellow to develop another like device.  It failed because he couldn't find the technology.

I wanted a chip with a panic stop recorded on it to be actuated by a button that ran the noise through a large amplifier and then through speakers located just under my left front bumper.  When one of these smart Alec drivers "dove" in front of my truck, nearly taking off my fender, I would push the button and let them wonder where all of the tire screeching, horn blowing, glass shattering sounds were coming from .

I have thought that it would be cool to have one of those signs, like you see in some retail stores, that has programmable  lettering that will display in a marque or blinking lights.  You could put one of these on the back of the truck, at eye level and let it say things like  "back off",  "too close",  "loose load", or, something to that affect.  I priced them for this purpose one time and was amazed at their perceived value.

It would be easy to hook a switch up to the brake lights though.  It would be kinda like Charlie's "turn the lights on" accept it would really turn on the brake lights when you pushed the button.

Why drivers get in such a hurry or use such bad judgement as to tailgate is beyond me.  They are only considering their actions from the standpoint of their harming themselves, not from the standpoint of causing an accident where another driver is killed.  You never know the expertise of the driver in the other car.  Just redirecting their attention by yelling and flipping a finger as you pass could be enough to get them killed.

[Onthesauk]

Old bumper sticker I saw somewhere along the way read: The Closer You Get the Slower I Go

[SwampDonkey]

I'm like Charlie and Tom, a car length for every 10 mph. That is also written into the driver's ed booklet as I recall. If your too close during the test, you'll be back next month for a redo.

I'm always telling my mother to pull back from the driver ahead, she likes to ride on the guy's bumper. When I'm driving I don't care how many want to pass, some asses get *pithed off if somone passes them legally. Where is that from?

[CHARLIE]

Tom's mentioning of gadgets on the car reminded me of my 1953 Olds straight 8 with 3 on the column. I painted it fire engine red and put in red, white and black rolled and pleated seat covers from Wachoski's. Painted the dash black.  I didn't have stereo (wasn't available back then) but I had about 6 drive-in speakers (not the whole thing....just the speakers) all over hidden under the seats. All inside lights I painted green. I put a modified truck taglight under the dash with a toggle switch and called it my "Leg light" to check out my date's legs. I put a toggle switch on the horn so I could turn it off when I took my date home. Didn't want to hit the horn and wake up the Dad. I also had a toggle switch so I could turn off my brake lights so when I whizzed by a cop, I could hit my brakes without him knowing.

Tom, the stink bomb sounds like a real winner to me. But if you hook it to the rear axle, run a small hose to the rear bumper and maybe an inch past. You don't need the stink under your truck.  I also like the one where you hit the button and get some sound affects.  I'm surprised the guy told you the technology does not exist. My bet is that it does. If they can have talking bass mounts and talking deer mounts they have the technology.  I've often wished I had one of those message lights too. Many times I'd love to tell someone to turn on their lights or that their tail lights aren't working or they have a real low tire but can't.  Great ideas Tom!

[sawguy21]

We put toggle switches on our brake lights too. Good for ducking out of sight on short notice  I had a car tailgating me down a long hill one night. I shut the key off then turned it back on as I floored it. The bang was almost deafening, the floor shook and there was a bright orange glow. The headlights behind me went sideways. Surprisingly, the old Jeep six still ran at the bottom but  the muffler split  end to end. The tailpipe had already rusted off. I imagine he never got too close again but I don't recommend this practice.

[Den Socling]

Tom,

I have spent long hours of driving and thinking about a stink bomb. I've also thought about a short range dart to penetrate radiators. 

Den

[Tom]

I like the stink bomb better.  It's kinda like the "who done it" in the elevator.  Even if you knew, all you can do is scowl.      

[Den Socling]

Put a semi or SUV with driving lights in my mirrors so bright that you would think that the tailgater would be blinded and I want to get more personal. I might put my name on the dart if I was still driving a lot and as hot-headed as I used to be. 

[sawguy21]

Den, that is where I like my power mirrors. Play with the switch until the sumbee backs off.

[HARLEYRIDER]

Den, that is where I like my power mirrors. Play with the switch until the sumbee backs off.

I'll have to try that


 I think the  (leagal) distance is 3 seconds for cars and 5 seconds for rigs

[IMERC]

I have always thought that we should rig up some sort of high pressure nozzle that can spray a mist of oil or black paint on the perpetrators windshield; or maybe an egg canon.

short range microwave burst transmitter...
disable their wheels..

[pigman]

I liked to stay back about one car length for each one mile per hour of speed.   That way I can do a lot of sight seeing.   A lot of cars pass me when I am driving, but what do I care, I am in no hurry. Had an Amish buggie tailgate me last week, so I just waved him on by.
 When I used to take my piggies to market, people would tailgate just to get a better look at the pigs.   When I take my cattle to market the drivers soon learn to back off when they are sprayed with the yellow liquid. 

[Den Socling]

I thought about the spray onto a windshield but I don't want to hurt anybody physically, just make a jerk's life what he/she deserves with a major inconvinience.

When I follow somebody who is slower than me (not too often anymore) and it is night time, if I see my lights in their mirror, I immediately drop back. It makes it a little harder to pass but what the hell is the rush? Did I say that?   

[Furby]

There ya go Tom, just stick a piggy in your trunk!

[pigman]

Furby pay attention. They tailgated when I hauled the pigs.   He needs to put a cow that has eaten fresh green grass in the trunk.

[Furby]

Ooops!

[Tom]

That reminds me of a story..........   

[Don_Papenburg]

Put on a flame thrower exhaust . 

Set up is a propane tank a hose and selonoid and spark plug  with a magnedo type of energizer for the spark plug



Tom is the story like back in the early 60s  Tommy Cahil  was haulling a load of cows up to the Union Stock Yards in Chi town on a hot summer day .   In the heavy traffic a fellow pulled up beside him  with his nice Caddy convert. Top down. wearing a nice white shirt and tie with his jacket resting over the seat back .   Just as one of the cows could not hold it any longer  and blasted a load out the side of the truck  across the passenger seat and onto the fancy shirt. Basicly ruining the guys day and giving Tommy a great story too tell when he got home.

[Woodwalker]

The State of Texas is advocating a two-second following distance. The system I teach at work uses 4 seconds, 10MPH or 70MPH, four seconds following distance. Yeah that’s a lot of space and you will get plenty of merging traffic. In or around any of the urban areas it’s impossible to maintain. So what I tell my folks is keep the most distance they can and keep your cool.

Out on a trouble call one night had a guy that would not pass. He just set back there with his brights on. I got a little aggravated and started turning on flashing light bars, strobes and work lights. He didn’t dim his lights but I found out he was from Florida. (Was saying something about sunny beaches when he passed)

[Bill]

Some good ideas in this thread.

I was taught the car length for every ten mph method way back but like the sounds of the two/four second rule.

My sister ( of all people ) taught me the slow down the more they tailgate - eventually they back off - but - lately people seem to be getting mean. Had a few run ins with a couple hot heads that really did own the road    and could of gone the wrong way. Probably gonna retire that method.

Friend told me that he likes to downshift the diesel a few gears to get the rpm's up - when the engine jumps up to 4-5000 rpm's the black diesel fumes pour out and back them down -  then its back into 5th gear.

In my younger days I had a backup light toggle switch in my camaro. At night I could back any tailgater down by flipping the backups on - guess they had no clue what was happening .

When we were younger we found out about hydrogen sulfide - or rotten egg odor as they called it at the magic store. Now if you could get that to come out a small hose at the back bumper .  .  .

[beav]

   Tailgaters SUCK.
    A can of wd-40 with the skinny tube you plug into the nozzle stuck through the e_brake boot pointed at the hot exhaust pipe stinks them out fast.
    during the winter months around here there is a line of salt and or sand down the center and sides of the road.A little wander on either puts up a good cloud of dust.
    Bumper stickers:  DANGER: POISONOUS FUMES true,right?   
                                TAILGATING CAUSES CANCER probably
                                 TAILGATING IS ILLEGAL  also true
    but they are often unreasonable so the 45acp is cheap life insurance.

[gary]

I tried that 2 seconds behind a car this morning. That is a lot closer than I want to be to the car in front of me when I am going 75 miles an hour.The 5 second rule was a lot better but it is to hard to try and find  something to use as a  marker and then try to count it off at 75 miles an hour. I like the one car length per ten miles an hour better.

[sandman2234]

As a driver for many years, with almost two million miles before I started this last job 5 years ago, I have seen most of the gimmicks, and the drivers they are invented for.
   In todays society, with A/C being used by most, the smell invention might not have the desired effects that it would have a few years back. However, if you need any help mounting it after you get it, give me a call.
   The professional drivers of this last generation don't have the same mentality that drivers had before I started, and when I first started. Pretty much when trucking was de-regulated, it became a dog eat dog world, and everyone was out to get as much as they can. Container drivers are a breed apart from the mainstream trucking industry, and have to put up with the ports and their idiotic rules and time tables, while still getting the load delivered and back before they get another chance to sit in line for hours.  Getting paid by the mile, or load is only one of the reasons truckers appear to be in a hurry. Another is trying to maintain a constant speed. It takes alot of foresight to keep a truck moving down the road at a constant speed, and any slight dip, hill, or another vehicle can change it in a second. If a trucker comes up behind you, in what appears to be a "big hurry", take a second and try to determine why he is doing it. He might be trying to get around the guy in the other lane, or allow someone room coming up the entrance ramp. I could go on about this for hours, but since it isn't the real question, I won't.
    For the people who learned the one car lenght per 10mph verus the 2 second rule, don't worry. It is basically the same thing. The reason it was changed, was because most people, in real life have a hard time actually keeping the measured distance correct, while the two second rule is a lot easier to maintain, constantly.   
   For those that manage to drive without getting run into, I applaud you. Defensive driving takes a lot more than just practice and patience.
    David from jax
 If you ever get a chance to take a trip with a trucker, go for it. You might find out why they do some of the things they do, and why they do it.
I think everyone who is applying for a drivers license should have at least a thousand miles in the jumpseat of an 18 wheeler. That in itself would decrease the number of deaths in this country, because people would learn how to drive WITH trucks.

[Furby]

I can agree with that whole post sandman! Well said!

[sawguy21]

I put in a lot of miles riding shotgun in highway transport and logging trucks in a younger day. Decided that was not for me. Your point is well taken and I will give a truck as much room as possible. Most motorists have no idea how much time and room a truck needs. I have had other drivers give me the one finger salute for slowing to allow a truck to merge or stopping to allow it  to turn.
I have also had a couple of near misses due to iresponsible truckers.  They do not own the road as some of them think and they have additional responsibility toward other motorists due to the extra size and weight. Unfortunately, the industry seems to attract a lot of showoffs, we found a similar mentality in some helicopter pilots.

[sandman2234]

I have had several near misses with tractor trailers also. Some of those idiots don't care how big your rig is, when they want over.  On the way home Friday, a 4wheeler took a couple of the lug nut covers off my left front wheel, as she changed lanes without looking. Just how do you pass a tractor trailer and not realize you haven't passed it all the way. Not like we can speed up enough to make a difference. Lucky she didn't get sideways in front of me when she lost control. I think she jerked the wheel when she heard the lugs hitting her door.
     People in general just don't pay enough attention.
         David from jax
   

[wiam]

I was driving a chevy C65 headed into a toll booth. There was a dead car in one of the middle lanes with a statey parked behind it with blue lights.  I was going by on the right because trucks had to use the right lanes for toll.  A 4 door subaru wagon pulled rught into the side of me.  Then she got out and started yelling at me.  "Did'nt you see me pulling into your lane?" um.....HELLO...


Will

[Quartlow]

Back when I was still driving big trucks I had a way to get tailgaters to back off. On our air ride flat beds we  had a switch that would dump the air out of the suspension on the back axle. This took a lot of the weight off that axle. SLight tap of the barkes and the back axle would lock up for a couple seconds, resulting in lots of smoke    Needless to say they where usually looking for someplace to run to.

[sawguy21]

  I imagine that got their attention.

[sandman2234]

I imagine that got their attention.

Probably the trailer owners too, when he had to replace the flatspotted tires, prematurely.
    David from jax

[sawguy21]

 A friend was inspecting some destroyed brake drums when the dispatcher said "Those were almost new, we don't know what happened"
Mike:" I have a pretty good idea"
D "Whazzat?"
Mike: " Bad case of company trailer"

[sandman2234]

Yep, seen a bunch of that. Owner Operators are the worst, and container drivers at the top of that list.
  David from jax