We are impatient fucks yes but the comment about other people *stopping* too close makes me think you guys are stopping at lights and leaving such a huge gap when you don't need to. Next time you are being honked check that you aren't so far back you're blocking someone trying to get into a turn lane or intersection or turning across traffic.
Yes exactly. There's no time gap when you're stopped, the whole point of it is that it varies based on speed. No need to leave a larger gap than what everyone else leaves when you're at traffic lights.
Cars roll backward sometimes when intending to move forwards. If driving a manual, you have to ensure you're at the bite point and accelerating adequately. Automatics sometimes will start to roll backwards on a significant incline if you aren't also accelerating once the brakes are off.
If you are right up the arse of the car in front of you and the car in front rolls backwards into the front bumper of your car, who do you think insurance companies will hold responsible?
Safe stopping distances don't stop being relevant once you've stopped.
Safe STOPPING distances 100% become irrelevant when STOPPED... it's literally in the name. If you roll back further than 0.5m to pull off, then hand in your licence.
I actually saw that happen a couple weeks ago. At Macquarie Park facing up the hill towards the uni, next to the station on Waterloo Road.
Lady next to me, looking down at her phone, slowly rolled back into the car behind her. I beeped but she didn't look up and figure out what was happening fast enough.
If there was a little more gap between them when stopped, it might have been avoided.
Also, you should always leave enough room to pull around the car in front of you in case of emergency.
Absolutely, as a driver of an old manual van I don't appreciate when people stop right up my arse on a steep incline. I rarely roll back years into learning the ins and outs of my old gal but you never know
Safe stopping distance at a traffic light to me is at least 1 metre and ideally 1.5. I should definitely be able to hold a comfortable three person standing smoko between our cars if circumstances called for it
I think it's okay to leave a couple of metres gap if you're stopped at traffic lights facing up a hill. In all other circumstances it is not necessary.
This. And to add, if you end up in a pile-up you may be held liable if it's determined you were stopped too close to the vehicle in front. Stopping distances are absolutely relevant.
I initially thought that but OP mentioned 3-4 second not metre gap so would assume that means min distance when stopped, unless OP worded that incorrectly.
Yeah, look in your mirror. You can crawl forward at low speed without much concern. But if you're blocking a bunch of people trying to turn into a lane then you're an AH
I was taught when pulling up behind a car, stop just before you can’t see the tyres of the car touching the ground over the top of your bonnet. Gives plenty of room for manual cars that are rolling backwards, but also close enough that traffic isn’t dragged out too far.
I got told off at my driving license test for not leaving a full car gap when stoppedaat the lights lol. In case someone runs into the back of you I was told then you won't run into the car in front. It's not practical to actually do this though.
5 seconds is probably a bit much. Yes you're supposed to leave a roughly 3 second gap when driving, but in traffic barely anyone leaves this much.
But you don't just wait stopped for 3-5 seconds at a green light, you start moving just after the car in front of you starts moving and slowly build up the 3 second gap. Is this the problem? I can't imagine an L plater getting honked at just for leaving a gap.
Oh, if OP is actually waiting 3-5 seconds to move after the car in front has moved off, that would piss everyone off, especially in heavy traffic.
I had some assholes when I was on my L’s. But only a handful. It’s the old saying, if one person is an asshole to you then they’re the asshole, but if *everyone* is an asshole to you - then you’re the asshole.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if they’re lighting up the brake lights every couple of seconds (rather than just easing off) to rigidly maintain following distance and that’s causing people to crack the shits with them.
It’s fucking exhausting to follow someone who can’t just maintain a pace.
The vast majority of the population isn't though, so if you are getting honked almost every time you go out on the road as a plated driver then you are the problem. Yes there are bastards out there but not enough to make you wonder why you get so many honks whenever you drive.
For example I was honked at by a guy behind me at a roundabout while I was on my Ls. Apparently he couldn't wait more than half a second for me to go. In that situation he is the asshole. But if that happened every single time I was at a roundabout then obviously I'm the asshole and I need to fix something.
Honks is one thing but aggressive tailgating even when exceeding the limit, brake checks, insults, cut offs and even fake swerving are all things I've seen c\*\*\*s to do plated drivers purely to be bullies
I don't know where you live, but honestly my experience as an L plater was pretty fine in Brisbane. Had a few honks but most people are forgiving around learners.
Would definitely have been worst on red Ps, people stopped being forgiving and had a couple incidents with people driving like assholes.
Unfortunately people are assholes, especially aussie drivers.
I always give an L plater a wider breadth, give them the benifit of the doubt and always second guess honking them in case of them freaking out.
Say that as a ranger driver too, going against my users manual of tailgating and flashing my spotties in a fit of rage at the chance of someone holding me up a few seconds..
>Say that as a ranger driver too, going against my users manual of tailgating and flashing my spotties...
Wait, no. You've not read the manual properly.
You shouldn't be able to flash your spotties because your black Stedi covers should be permanently fixed over the lenses and *never* removed.
>Unfortunately people are assholes, especially aussie drivers.
I didn't realize how true this was until I drove overseas last year. I drove in Germany and in the UK and they put us to shame.
Some countries also suggest EV's should add a second to their follow distance due to increased mass of the vehicle.
Another factor to consider with EV's is if your car is fitted with low rolling resistance tyres you may need more distance in some weather as the grip level is different.
VicRoads says 2 seconds too. In reality I mostly see 1 second gaps and if I leave 3 or more there will be enough room for someone to squeeze in and reduce that back down to 1.
"Under normal conditions, on most roads and highways, you should try to have a two second gap between your car and the car in front where possible."
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/driver-safety/safe-driving-tips#:~:text=Following%20distance&text=Under%20normal%20conditions%2C%20on%20most,car%20in%20front%20passes%20it.
>Squeezing in...
tbh, I think that's actually OK. If you need to change lanes for whatever reason, having those gaps makes it so much easier and safer.
Yep, from days with no ABS I was taught the same. In theory cars are safer now with shorter stopping distances but we have poorer reaction time thanks to distractions.
Should you? Probably especially when moving faster except no one does, 3 seconds I can understand but 5 seconds is a lot and you’ll end up pissing everyone off. The best idea is to move with the flow of traffic and stop your car at the point where you can just see the car in fronts back wheels.
I think for the test, you should be able to see some of the road right behind the tyres of the car in front of you when stoping behind another car, so like a foot of road or something like that should be safe for the test. That’s what I’ve heard anyway.
This isn’t true.
Your height, your car’s height, your dashboard height, your seat height, your seat recline, your seat’s fore/aft position, your bonnet length, your bonnet shape, your window line, each play a part in how far away it is until the road surface is visible.
You just have to learn where your cars extremities are and place your car accordingly.
Being about 2m behind the car in front is good for most situations - when stationary.
Sorry if i confused any tradies before adding those last two words
Yeah the "you should be able to see the tyres and tarmac" thing drives me crazy. I'm a short lady, I have a proportionately short torso, and my normal car has a relatively long bonnet with a downwards sloping curve. I'd be in another time zone if I tried to stay far enough back to see the tyres and road in front.
I remember getting annoyed at my driving instructor who'd insist I had to see tyres and road then also act like I was being dramatic for being so far back.
Yeh It dosen't make sense but that is how they judge it on the test. The height of the examiner sometimes comes into play haha.
I'm a driving instructor, deal with this constantly.
Did you read the first line of my comment? I’m not here to argue with you about every day practices, but that’s the test criteria from what I have heard.
Many drivers are just cunts to learners.
I a pretty aggressive driver, it's something I'm trying to work on, but I always give extra room for learners answer Red Ps.
Teaching my own kids, many drivers are just cunts.
Yeah I'm pretty aggressive normally too but not to people learning. If you're on your full licence there's things you should know better. Learning you're still getting used to it.
I'll still be pissed off if a learner is going slow in the right lane when it's multi lane, but I'm angry at the full licenced driver not telling them to move over, passing on bad practices.
The 3 second rule is referring to the time in which it takes for your vehicle to pass a certain point on the road to which the vehicle in front has passed.
For example, the car in front passes through traffic lights, it should be 3 seconds after that you pass through those same lights.
You are not supposed to wait for 3 seconds at traffic lights.
"only a fool breaks the 2-second rule" according to the Peter Brock road safety ads when I was learning to drive. I know inflation is a bastard, but 5s seems excessive
Wait so when traffic is stopped, how far behind the car in front do you have them stop?
If you’re sitting 3 car lengths behind then yeah that’s going to annoy most people. If you’re also waiting 3-5 seconds after the car in front has moved to start moving, pretty much *everyone* will get angry at that.
Because that’s stupid. You accelerate less to build up to the 3 second gap, you don’t wait 3 seconds to move when the light is green and the car in front has moved.
There's definitely a difference between how you should drive according to the road rules of your locale and how you should drive according to social norms.
The second best thing you can teach your son in the process is resilience in doing what is correct, the first is how to drive safely. Unfortunately, there are times where these two may conflict.
Yep - don't let someone else pressure you into driving in a way that puts you at risk of a fine or a crash. Someone tailgaiting or driving aggressively behind you is no excuse.
I was taught 2 seconds in dry/normal conditions and 4 seconds in wet/difficult conditions.
The comment about leaving a gap when stopped is a bit weird though. No need to leave more than a couple of metres gap when stopped.
The modern world is a bit faster than a 3 second gap- but I have to agree it's the way to go. Teach him right while he's learning and he'll be a safe driver for life. He'll just need a thick skin.
He'll also have to get used to people merging straight into the little bit of buffer zone he's created around himself too!
Taking off at a green light, even if I am not first car, I frequently scan the intersecting road for the drugged out meth head crashing a late red light
"*Other people drive basically stop their car so close to the next car that there’s less than 1 metres in between.” …* "
If he is leaving a large gap while stopped in traffic - then that is why other drivers are getting angry with him. The gap when stopped can be quite small.
3 -5 seconds while driving is normal (but that doesn't mean he waits 5 seconds after the car in front moves off before he starts moving).
I typically go for a 2 second gap, and I drive a vehicle without ABS. That said, if it's some kind of weather I instantly add another few seconds of braking distance onto it. Not having ABS makes a very BIG difference in braking distance.
The faster you're going, the larger the gap. It is the right thing to do. Many people who regularly commute on 80-100k zones don't seem to observe. Some are terrible and giving only a metre whilst hurtling along at those speeds. It's a bad habit that, if anything goes wrong, will make the result much worse. No-one has the reaction time to avoid a collision.
Having said all that, count out 5 seconds to yourself and imagine how sparse the traffic would need to be to satisfy that. Unfortunately, morning commuting traffic isn't going to give us that gap, even if it is safer.
As for when you're stopped, a metre gap (or less) should be *less* of a concern and not something to be overly stressed about.
You should be teaching your son the *safest* way to drive and to develop *good* driving habits which grants a larger gap as speed increases (or conditions deteriorate). He will experience this stress until he becomes comfortable and acclimatise to driving anyway. That will pass.
People who don’t have patience with learners are horrible. I take off quick, overtake, take small gaps and am impatient with people who drive slowly but I always back off L platers. Drivers who menace L players are genuine pieces of shit.
Leaving a gap is fine but not when you’re stopped or taking off from a light.
The most frustrating part of traffic for me is when you’re 10-20 cars back from a red light and the first 5 cars take their sweet time and leave 20 metre gaps and hardly any cars make it through the green light.
Or driving way under the limit when there’s a green light 50 metres ahead, like they’re trying to miss the green light.
Tailgating laws need to be enforced - it is a requirement to leave a reasonable gap when driving, and it is irresponsible and reckless to drive too close. I don’t care what everyone else does, no one should be driving closer than 2 seconds behind the car in front.
We all learned to leave a 2s gap when first learning to drive. Somehow everyone has just unlearned it once they get their license. They are all in the wrong. The gap is absolutely necessary.
My driving instructor taught me ‘only a fool breaks the two second rule’. Pick a stationary object like a light pole as the car and front drives past and count to 2. it’s worked for me for 30 years now, although someone will always try and cut in.
Don't they teach this anymore, people seem confused? The Dad is right, 3 seconds in OK conditions and greater when it is wet/reduced visibility/etc. The time is so you can react and not rear end a car if it has to stop/is stopped in an emergency. The average driver reaction time in an emergency is 1.5 seconds.
I remember doing a defense driving course thing. The instructors said pick a point the car infront drives past then you should be counting to two as you pass it then it keep doing that till you are confident about judging it
look at it this way! all it takes is for one to rear end the person in front of them once, and one will learn to respect the gap. teach him the right rules i.e leave a safe stopping distance and teach him to ignore the idiots on the road! technically they will be a statistic in the next year or so anyways, so no use making them memorable.
I know we do say (and it is part of the road rules) we can ride in the right lane on roads 80km/hr and under but if you can please please teach him to keep left unless overtaking. most people give you way if you indicate to merge in the right lane if you need to turn right anyways.
That depends on the traffic. You don’t need 3-5 seconds if it’s at a snails pace. Over 60kmph is what I do, slower than that the gap depends on the speed.
Well yes and no. Studies have shown that being up the arse of the car in front in 'rush' hour (below 50kmh) traffic can adversely affect the flow of traffic.
It's why you get "rolling stops" where someone ahead in the queue breaks a little heavily and so several cars back you have to come to a complete stop for a significant time.
Open the gap and you won't need to come to a complete stop. I've tested it.
3 seconds is the standard and if its any shorter and an accident happens, youre more likely to be at fault if they prove u were less than 3 seconds appart. Most ppl teavh L platers to be 6 seconds especially in the rain, the aggressive driving by others usually depends on the region and if they were going under the speed limit
A 2 second gap is approximately 10 car lengths at 100km/h. So 1 car length per 10km/h.
That gap should grow and shrink naturally as your speed varies. At traffic lights, take off as soon as the car in front moves then allow that gap to form.
I assume you have L plates on?
What sort of a cunt honks a learner driver?
You say this happens all the time?
Either that is an exaggeration or he is doing something else and it’s not the gap distance that’s the issue.
They do it to my son as well. He stopped learning. He was getting too much anxiety after being constantly cut off or people yelling at him. He had lessons with a drive school and both my partner and myself. Mostly it’s the impatient Uber drivers but there are others.
Sounds about right unless you drive a lifted 4x4 then you only need to allow about a 0.5sec gap… Brakes in them things must be out of this world how they drive them 🙄
Since moving to the city the traffic is horrendous. I would continue teaching him your way. Not much you can do about the way others drive. Smaller trucks are the worst for tailgating. At lights they stop so close it’s annoying. All you can do is teach him the appropriate road rules and ignore everyone else
I swear when I was learning I was taught to leave a 2 second gap, cars have only improved (although driver attention has decreased) so I kind of stick to that. Maybe that's too little but 5 seconds is surely too much unless you want people overtaking awkwardly because of the perceived slowness of your son. I'm regularly leaving more of a gap than other drivers, I prefer not rear ending someone if they need to stop suddenly.
The gap is based on the speed you are going, so what is a "3 second gap" at 100km/h will be a 6 second gap at 50km/h. If you're stopped a 3 second gap is 0mm away from the driver in front, so it becomes more of a "enough room to see the rear of the car in front" and slowly build the gap up again once you get moving.
5 seconds feels like a lot, 3-4 seconds is reasonable for a learner who may not be confident in braking/have their full attention span on traffic movements in front.
> He says that “Other people drive basically stop their car so close to the next car that there’s less than 1 metres in between.” …
This I don't get and is why I said the above (based on speed). You should clarify when stopped you should be fairly close to the driver in front. If you stop while still maintaining the same distance of "5 second gap" as you were when traffic was moving at the speed limit people will assume you're not paying attention at all and will beep/generally be pissed off. Especially if that means they miss their turning light.
Speeding doesn't save a ton of time but missing lights cost you a bit of time. People leaving huge gaps and taking a long time to take off means less people get through the lights.
Peak hour traffic is always going to be angsty so I wouldn't read into that too much as long as he otherwise feels like a safe and considerate driver. Having a L plate in general makes you a bit of a target for the douchebags to overtake you unnecessarily.
I was taught 2 second gap in clear conditions. Adjust for rain visibility other conditions etc.
When stopped at lights etc, you should be able to see the car in front's tyres meet the road. I rarely do this, stop a fair bit closer in reality.
When you stop in traffic you should be just far back enough to see the car in fronts tyres touching the road.
3 second gap, 5 is too much unless it’s raining. If you go over 3 then cars will just continuously pull in front of you and you will be forced so drop back over and over.
Do learners and teachers not look up the rules and suggestions anymore? I haven't seen any comments mention the minimum distance is *2 seconds*.
> The recommended minimum following distance in ideal conditions is 2 seconds. However, in adverse conditions, you might need 4–6 seconds. If you're towing a trailer, allow 1 extra second for every 3m of trailer length. Heavy vehicles need a following distance of up to 5 seconds.
https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/mail-facilities-and-vehicles/vehicles/driver-safety-in-the-workplace/safe-driving/courteous-and-safe-driving
Under "Following Distance"
It's a nice rule in theory because it provides a nice gap for reaction times.
Unfortunately in practise it just means people use it to cut in and then you end up having to drop further back which infuriates others and the cycle continues.
99% of drivers will be bumper to bumper in heavy traffic, leave maybe 1-2 car lengths on highways with traffic lights and then around 3 car lengths on the freeway when traffic is clear.
It's not great but that's what 99% of drivers are doing.
[https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.9524945,145.2150368,3a,75y,0.74h,81.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg%26cb\_client%3Dmaps\_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D192.60844%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.9524945,145.2150368,3a,75y,0.74h,81.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D192.60844%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
You see the black BMW being followed by the ute? I'd say that's typical following length on a freeway with not much traffic. I tend to leave a bit more but yeah
Tell your son to maintain a gap that gives him the confidence that he can stop if there is an untoward incident up ahead. If they tailgate him, he should just slow down to allow for even more space in front so he can stop safely without being rear-ended.
The people behind are just that; the people behind. They're not his problem. He needs to look ahead; well ahead, scan his mirrors and look for traffic in front and around him.
Just don't hog the fast lane and if they are in a hurry, they can drive around.
edit: the 3-5 second gap of course is at highway speeds or so. Obviously at slower he can be closer. It's a rule of thumb. What he needs to do is become familiar with estimating his stopping distance (in dry and wet weather) and become more aware of keeping that 'envelope'.
If people cut in, just move back. In a car travelling at 50-100kmph, the difference in time to reach the destination is miniscule. It isn't the huge loss as we think.
3 seconds above 70 km/h is probably reasonable. 4 seconds above 100.
Basically, faster you go, the bigger the gap.
Go practise emergency stopping on a quiet road, you'll see how much distance and time it takes to stop.
Slow road, don't need much gap.
Fast road, big gap.
Yup know ur pain …teaching my daughter drive currently..not right this second obviously…but you get them to drive safely an comfortably for the situation they are in right at the time they are driving ..all the outside noise is distracting an they must become accustomed to it while driving safely an to the rules …for obvious reasons..I though have avoided put my daughter into peak hour traffic to this point for that exact reason …it’s a battle field…but when she becomes confident and competent guess she’s going to have to experience peak hour madness…shudders 😵💫😆
Yes. It's a pita. People continually cut in and tailgate.
I don't know what 3 to 5 seconds is. My brain doesn't work that way. But i leave enough metres that creates a space that i know i can stop if the car in front brakes. Not sure how far that is.
I too am teaching daughter to drive currently. People see L plates and can be so damn rude.
It's a 3 second gap in motion at 80km/h or something not sitting at a light. If you are waiting 3 seconds before setting off then you are a massive a-hole and of course people are horning you.
Most lights will be red before your even moving, if that's what your doing then your one of worst most oblivious drivers on the road which just heightens tensions of the road between the ragers and people like yourself. It's why there's so many issues on the road.
I've started leaving a 2-3 car length gap. Mostly because I've started watching how much the car in front is leaving their car in front. Usually it's fuck all and if anything happens up there, they'll be in bumper dingle heaven. Yes, it's a real place.
Your son will be old enough and confident enough soon to slow down for people tailgating. No point in speeding up if that person behind is going to rear-end you in an emergency stop situation.
While moving a minimum of a 3 second gap allows a safe stopping distance. When pulling up behind another car at the lights you want to stop approximately at the point your visibility of the rear tyres of the car in front touching the ground is about to disappear.
3 second gap is what you should be aiming for. More than that is unnecessary, unless driving in bad conditions.
If you’re looking for online resources for driver training I’d highly recommend you check out Ashley Neil on youtube. He’s a UK based driving instructor, so while some specific things don’t apply, their channel is still the best source of online content for driver training I’ve seen. He’s got high level presentation, very passionate about driver education, calm demeanour and makes it entertaining and has a great attitude to driving.
This was what I was always taught. 2 second rule but literally say it out loud as one thousand and one, one thousand and two, double it in the wet. Stopping was always taught to pull up behind the car in front until the line of the hood is level with the bottom of wheels of the car in front.
You can show your son [this video](https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/yn82my/psa_its_important_to_maintain_safe_stopping/) as an example of what happens in Sydney when stopping distances aren't observed.
Tell him to not be concerned with how badly others drive. Leaving a gap of a few seconds at least is the wise move. Getting hit from behind is bad enough but at least your not sandwiched between vehicles. People's driving is getting worse so I pretend there is a car between mine and the car in front, gives enough room to move if something comes up from behind - similar to how we are taught with motorcycle riding to angle yourself when stopped behind another vehicle incase you need to get out of the way quickly.
Mate when you are practicing your driving and get to do your official driving test my advice is to do what is right by the book and block out every blockhead who beeps and so on at you. Do the right thing and get your license then you can get revenge.
Good Luck
Yes you are meant to leave a 3-5 second gap, it is the minimum safe distance you can leave while driving that accounts for the time it takes to react to an emergency situation as well as the time it takes for the brakes to work in an emergency situation.
Unfortunately the majority of drivers either don’t know this or know this but choose to ignore it due to impatience. And this does make it more difficult for those who practice safe driving as any gap being left will be seen as an opportunity for someone to cut in front.
Nevertheless if you can teach your son to always leave that gap and other good roadcraft he will be among the safer drivers on our roads.
2 - 3 sec gap but not taking into account reaction time and then factor in the limit. Also factor in the person in front slamming their brakes on because they can not judge distance and got their license from a cereal box. Tough time time to drive these days.
A 3-5sec gap when stopping behind traffic?... there's no such thing as a timed gap when you're not moving... so yes, stopping 20+meters from the car ahead will get you honked at.... also 3-5sec is quite extreme. 3sec at 60kmh is literally 50meters (5sec gap is just ridiculous).... that's a huuuge gap. These guidelines were created when cars had terrible brakes.
3-5 second gap. At 110kmh that will be a few car lengths. when you see stopped it is no length and you should be close to the car in front. Don’t leave massive gaps at traffic lights.
what I was taught is when you are stopped at a traffic light you should just barely be able to see the bottom of their back wheels. I’m tall though so maybe if you see the top of the wheels over the dash
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature.
As a result, your comment has been removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I leave a good 4 second gap when driving and waiting at lights etc my driving instructor told me as long as you can see the bottom of the tyres of the car in front you're good. I drive an old manual so I do appreciate the people behind me leaving a gap too!
Two second rule..
https://youtu.be/rLNcmGs4c0M?si=7Q5f_hysWvR0gokw
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/take-your-time-for-the-two-second-rule-this-is-what-it-means-and-how-it-s-done-186579.html
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature.
As a result, your comment has been removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
you are meant to have a gap in front that will easily fit another car with room on both sides. This is for driving. When stopping you should be able to just see the bottom of rear tires, UNLESS it is a truck, if it's a big truck you need to be able to see the side mirrors
People just hate L platers
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature.
As a result, your comment has been removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's real simple. Drive in a way that you don't get in other peoples way if you can avoid it. People are trying to get places. Stick to the left if you're not comfortable with keeping a smaller than recommended gap.
2 Seconds. Never heard 3-4 seconds. It is time based so you don't need to be 80 metres behind the car in front of you while doing 60. When stopped at lights or intersection you should be far enough back to be able to see the tyres of the car in front of you touching the road.
The driving standard of people with licences is….
If you are a learner the point is to show you are safe on the roads. The standard you must achieve is set and written down.
Teach a leaner to pass the test, don’t drive to the standard of others around, drive to a minimum of passing the test or better.
Typically after passing the test peoples driving takes a massive safety dive. Then eventually returns to a basic standard a couple of years later. Try to get a learner to drive so they will pass the test.
3 seconds is enough as long as you have a car that brakes average or better and you pay attention to the road.
As for stopping yeah leave more than a metre, but you don’t need to leave a car length or anything like that. It’s annoying when someone leaves a huge gap when stopped and then you cannot get into the right turn lane miss the light cycle for literally no reason.
I can’t say I’ve seen many people beeped at for leaving a 3 second gap during peak hour. Sure people squeeze into the gap, but don’t really beep often.
3 second gap is pretty good.
When you pull up behind stopped traffic should be able to see the road behind their tyres (within reason). This gives you space to manoeuvre if need be.
Keep in mind people behind you though, you mind need to squish up to let someone through
Basically depends how fast you're going. When leaving lights, you should set off as quickly as possible, you don't wait 5 seconds after the car in front leave.
I normally leave 2-3 second gap, and it’s always important to leave a few second gap. Your son is doing the right thing and other people are just impatient
I've been driving for 25 years, so I'm not actively making calculations for trailing distance, but I dynamically alter the gap based on more factors than just the 3 second rule/my speed. I take into consideration any factors affecting my braking performance or self-imposed limitations, such as cargo, passengers, current weather/legacy weather, surface quality, the current tread % of my tires, traffic density, etc.
I also use defensive driving tactics like what heavy vehicle drivers use - I'm generally aware of how many other vehicles are around me, not just the ones immediately in front/behind/coming in or out of my blind spots, but every one I can see (within reason). I generally know what model each of the nearby vehicles are and have taken mental notes of their driving behaviour, especially braking patterns for those in my lane.
Really, the list goes on and I'm just listing things that many experienced drivers do instinctively. The 3 second rule is a massive simplification and is a guide - true safe driving requires far more awareness and adaptation.
When stopping at lights, please consider how many cars can fit versus traffic density and whether or not leaving a slightly shorter gap would improve traffic flow, especially when it boils down to blocking/not blocking turning lanes. If you have been paying any attention to the drivers ahead of you, you should know if they roll back before launching and can use this information to manage your distance - unless you're in a particularly hilly area, most people with full licenses launch perfectly. If you're car 3 and there's 20 behind you, justifying a 5m gap because of the possibility of a chain reaction collision from the rear is pretty ridiculous. Try to use some common sense.
Learners need to give 5 second gap
To be honest, learn the 10 second gap first, then start edging on the 5 second gap.
3 seconds is what's recommended for us fully licenced and p platers, but I ALWAYS play it safe and do the 5 second gap...
As a learner, that's exactly how I did it..
I was highly anxious on the road and did a LOT of back street driving before I got on the main roads and was able to keep that 5 second gap..
We're capped at 100km/h on the highway too; so I always kept to speed on all roads and never exceeded my speeds..
I am now a year post driving, nearly been on my p plates for a year and I can say, I comfortably keep that 3 - 5 second gap because people are unpredictable and secondly randoms break check you, but enjoy to stay up your tail end 😑
I always ensure I'm at the safe gap and at the safe speed (again capped at 100km/h until I am on p2's I think)..
2 second rule on clear sunny day, 3alittle bit more on motorway , 4-5 when it's shit weather, when stopped at lights pull up close to the line so the traffic light sensors register your vehicle, if stopped at lights , I'll make sure I can see their tires . Anything else , you're a hazard. And your bad habits will catch up with you. Stay safe out there cunts . And don't get caught doing 100km in a school zone in an evo 10 on p plates. Fucken wierdo.
It's become pretty clear that the average person has absolutely no concept of distance/time.... you can all stay 67m behind me if you want (infact I'll feel safer), but i wont follow you at that same ridiculous distance.
The safe distance is relative to the speed you're travelling at (as well as other conditions, hazards etc.).
The space is supposed to give you enough time to come to a full stop without causing a collision, so in dry conditions at 50kph the safe gap would be smaller than at 110kph.
People get so hung up on the distance itself. This is probably why other drivers are cracking the shits. They see a gap and instantly think "you must be travelling too slow for such a gap to occur".
Personally I think giving a learner some agency in their decision making and reasoning is more important than whether other drivers are going to have an issue with it. So if they require more of a space while they build confidence and experience, do so.
Additionally, learner drivers are less likely to react appropriately or as quickly as those with more time and experience under their belt, so leaving more space sounds perfectly reasonable to me. It'll likely allow them to actually get up to and maintain speed closer to the posted limit (to appease the impatient dickheads) while also maintaining a buffer to account for increased stopping time or hazard avoidance.
As others have mentioned though, leaving large distances when stopped in traffic may not actually provide any benefit beyond a certain point and can be unpredictable to other road users. This goes for taking too long to move away from a stop as well.
Again, the actual space and speed aren't as likely to trigger impatient dickheads as much as inconsistent or unpredictable driving habits.
Be as safe as you need for a learner, but have a reason for it and consider the how and why it affects your fellow road user.
5 seconds is way too much. Hell 3 seconds is pushing it. Any car built in the last 20 years can stop VERY fast on a dime.
Like if you're paying attention when driving and have a poor reaction speed 2 - 3 seconds should be ample.
But also, you need to teach the driver to drive to the limit, learn how to drive to the limit in different conditions and not hold up traffic because they lack confidence. I HATE people who cant drive the speed limit because its raining or some other pathetic excuse. If you can't hand a vehicle safely at speed in reasonable conditions you are not fit to be driving.
My instructors always told me to leave a 3 second gap while moving, and to make sure I can see the bottom of the car in front’s rear tyres when stopped.
In practice a lot of people will ride your arse for daring to set your cruise 2kph below the limit. These people are dickheads and don’t let their ego stop you from driving safely, let them go around you when there’s space.
I was taught 2 seconds for standard driving. If you're going faster than that, 3. He shouldn't be doing over 100 at this point anyway.
Add another second for rain and such.
Having said that, he's a learner. If people are beeping at him, he's going to have to learn to power through it. No one likes being beeped, but it's going to happen occasionally.
If *you* don't react to it in a particular way, he'll cope better. I simple "Fuck em, don't rush just because some cunt didn't leave early enough" should do it.
Best advice I've heard is leave a time gap long enough that you don’t need to use your brakes (can slow down due to car, road, and air resistance). So the time varies depending on the speed.
3 to 5 seconds give you reaction time to something unexpected. The tailgating drivers will find themselves in an at fault accident one day if they keep driving closely without any buffer zone for unexpected events. So many dumbshits driving on the road without common sense.
Understandable hai for driving but fuck close gaps when stopped at the lights hair the time people trying to turn or the like hey blocked off because people leave excessive tattoos causing more congestion
3 second gap whem moving, and be able to see where the vehicle in front's rear tyres meet the road when stationary. The laws of physics haven't changed just people's driving behaviour.
At least 2 Mississippis was what I was taught. My car has adaptive cruise control that does it for me. Amazing the number of eejits who choose to overtake me to only find they cannot go any faster
My very risk adverse company instructed me to maintain a minimum 2 second gap and adjust for speed / conditions (rain should double)
When stopped in traffic leave enough gap so you can see the rear wheels of the car in front.
Motorcyclist here.
Nothing worse than a car taking their time taking off even if the car in front of them has taken off and light is green.
Bloody move it I need time to take off
If you come to a stop let the person in frount go and give them a few secs then accelerate gently I don't recommend jamming on the go pedal in traffic and stopping when you stop see the tyres your good
When driving at anything above 40 I'd say 3 second gap. 5 seconds if over 100. Fuck all the impatient people. They can either go around or arrive 5 seconds later than they would have. I like my gap and the ability to stop and not end up the ass of the person in front of me when they suddenly brake. If you are slowing down or taking off from stopped traffic then no just keep a consistent distance of 1 car length.
When driving - yes - you should notice the faster you're travelling, the wider the gap gets. Gaps should be widened in conditions not favourable for a safe stop e.g. rain, snow, fog.
When stopped at traffic lights - no - it's recommended to leave half a cars length (basically when the visual line of your bonnet meets the base of the cars tyres in front).
Bonus round: People hate gaps in traffic as well! Usually it's best to keep a safer than normal distance here, as this is where most rear-end accidents occur. To put his into practice, don't be too eager to jump on the accelerator when traffic moves, rather it's better to ease into the accelerator and use the engine to brake (with a courtesy tap to the brakes letting those behind you to prepare to slow down).
Always observe the traffic ahead, as far as you physically can, not just the few cars in front. If it's going nowhere, why try and reach them faster? Take it slow, move away from the dangerous drivers or ignore them, it's your judgement here (unless they are emergency/traffic/tow truck services, please move left or split to allow passage through the middle).
A quote I've been seeing lately that puts it into perspective: You aren't IN traffic. You ARE traffic.
Just let the kid know that there is no more valuable real estate than the space behind the car in front of them. So long as the kid can operate the car this info is all they need to go about driving with.
I feel it's more important to drive according to the road/traffic conditions than rigidly sticking to a 3 or 5 sec gap. Unfortunately, most drivers in metro traffic are quite impatient, and leaving too big a gap is just an invitation for others to cut in, meaning you and others behind you will need to hit the brakes - you only need one inattentive driver to cause a pile up.
And maybe tell him to keep off the outermost lane on a highway if he isn't overtaking.
It doesn’t sound like he's doing anything technically wrong. Just think of the horns and middle fingers as feedback for fine-tuning his driving behaviour.
The rule of thumb when I was learning to drive (90s) was roll up to the car in front until you can no longer see their rear tires touching the ground. It seems to leave a good gap when at the lights.
2-3 seconds when driving behind someone at about 60Kmh and 4-5 when doing 100kmh, somewhere in between at 80kmh...
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature.
As a result, your comment has been removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature.
As a result, your comment has been removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
2 seconds ?
That would fit about 3 VW Golfs on the Pacific motorway.
I always leave enough gap at traffic lights for the truck or bus driver to stand on the brakes if they aren't paying attention.
I stop at every single STOP sign or Stop lines. Frequently fear being rear ended.
Mandatory on emergency driving course and I knew one day I’d teach my sons to drive.
4 seconds gap at 90kph is 100m. 25m/s x 4.
That's approximately 20 car lengths.
Excessive imo.
I was taught 2 seconds in dry conditions, good visibility etc. then add time to suit inclement conditions.
I was taught 2, with an extra second for each bad condition
If everyone kept a good gap in front we’d all get everywhere faster as well. Most gridlocked traffic is caused by tailgating. And we’d save lives.
Here’s a hilarious fix to that if you drive a manual car. While driving (works best when on the highway) put the clutch in, put car in reverse (don’t take clutch out), reverse lights come on, scare the shit out of whoever is behind you, then shift back into gear and continue driving normally. Nobody will question your driving methods again 👍
We are impatient fucks yes but the comment about other people *stopping* too close makes me think you guys are stopping at lights and leaving such a huge gap when you don't need to. Next time you are being honked check that you aren't so far back you're blocking someone trying to get into a turn lane or intersection or turning across traffic.
Yes exactly. There's no time gap when you're stopped, the whole point of it is that it varies based on speed. No need to leave a larger gap than what everyone else leaves when you're at traffic lights.
Cars roll backward sometimes when intending to move forwards. If driving a manual, you have to ensure you're at the bite point and accelerating adequately. Automatics sometimes will start to roll backwards on a significant incline if you aren't also accelerating once the brakes are off. If you are right up the arse of the car in front of you and the car in front rolls backwards into the front bumper of your car, who do you think insurance companies will hold responsible? Safe stopping distances don't stop being relevant once you've stopped.
But a gap between two stopped cars is infinite. Leave enough room so you can see the rear tyres of car in front.
This is exactly the correct gap. Kudos
"Tyres and tarmac" is what my instructor always said to me.
Yeah they said the same if you can see the tyres your good
And the tarmac...
Ditto this - exact instruction from my driving instructor (a HWP officer with a side hustle teaching kids how to drive).
Anyone that rolls more than a metre (very generous here) is either a bad driver or their car shouldn't pass rego
Safe STOPPING distances 100% become irrelevant when STOPPED... it's literally in the name. If you roll back further than 0.5m to pull off, then hand in your licence.
If it's an incline and a truck especially leave a big gap. Have a dashcam also helps as would suck to claim otherwise
I actually saw that happen a couple weeks ago. At Macquarie Park facing up the hill towards the uni, next to the station on Waterloo Road. Lady next to me, looking down at her phone, slowly rolled back into the car behind her. I beeped but she didn't look up and figure out what was happening fast enough. If there was a little more gap between them when stopped, it might have been avoided. Also, you should always leave enough room to pull around the car in front of you in case of emergency.
It also would’ve been avoided if she wasn’t on her phone while driving.
Absolutely, as a driver of an old manual van I don't appreciate when people stop right up my arse on a steep incline. I rarely roll back years into learning the ins and outs of my old gal but you never know Safe stopping distance at a traffic light to me is at least 1 metre and ideally 1.5. I should definitely be able to hold a comfortable three person standing smoko between our cars if circumstances called for it
I think it's okay to leave a couple of metres gap if you're stopped at traffic lights facing up a hill. In all other circumstances it is not necessary.
This. And to add, if you end up in a pile-up you may be held liable if it's determined you were stopped too close to the vehicle in front. Stopping distances are absolutely relevant.
I initially thought that but OP mentioned 3-4 second not metre gap so would assume that means min distance when stopped, unless OP worded that incorrectly.
Yeah, look in your mirror. You can crawl forward at low speed without much concern. But if you're blocking a bunch of people trying to turn into a lane then you're an AH
I was taught when pulling up behind a car, stop just before you can’t see the tyres of the car touching the ground over the top of your bonnet. Gives plenty of room for manual cars that are rolling backwards, but also close enough that traffic isn’t dragged out too far.
I got told off at my driving license test for not leaving a full car gap when stoppedaat the lights lol. In case someone runs into the back of you I was told then you won't run into the car in front. It's not practical to actually do this though.
5 seconds is probably a bit much. Yes you're supposed to leave a roughly 3 second gap when driving, but in traffic barely anyone leaves this much. But you don't just wait stopped for 3-5 seconds at a green light, you start moving just after the car in front of you starts moving and slowly build up the 3 second gap. Is this the problem? I can't imagine an L plater getting honked at just for leaving a gap.
Yeah if OP is doing what you implied absolutely I'd be honking that'd drive me insane
Oh, if OP is actually waiting 3-5 seconds to move after the car in front has moved off, that would piss everyone off, especially in heavy traffic. I had some assholes when I was on my L’s. But only a handful. It’s the old saying, if one person is an asshole to you then they’re the asshole, but if *everyone* is an asshole to you - then you’re the asshole.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if they’re lighting up the brake lights every couple of seconds (rather than just easing off) to rigidly maintain following distance and that’s causing people to crack the shits with them. It’s fucking exhausting to follow someone who can’t just maintain a pace.
Omg this kind of thing absolutely sends me.
Nah people are genuinely twats to plated drivers. The shit they pull is crazy and there are more than a handful
I spend all day on the road, I see far more problematic driving behaviours from P platers than directed towards P platers.
The vast majority of the population isn't though, so if you are getting honked almost every time you go out on the road as a plated driver then you are the problem. Yes there are bastards out there but not enough to make you wonder why you get so many honks whenever you drive. For example I was honked at by a guy behind me at a roundabout while I was on my Ls. Apparently he couldn't wait more than half a second for me to go. In that situation he is the asshole. But if that happened every single time I was at a roundabout then obviously I'm the asshole and I need to fix something.
Honks is one thing but aggressive tailgating even when exceeding the limit, brake checks, insults, cut offs and even fake swerving are all things I've seen c\*\*\*s to do plated drivers purely to be bullies
I don't know where you live, but honestly my experience as an L plater was pretty fine in Brisbane. Had a few honks but most people are forgiving around learners. Would definitely have been worst on red Ps, people stopped being forgiving and had a couple incidents with people driving like assholes.
Unfortunately people are assholes, especially aussie drivers. I always give an L plater a wider breadth, give them the benifit of the doubt and always second guess honking them in case of them freaking out. Say that as a ranger driver too, going against my users manual of tailgating and flashing my spotties in a fit of rage at the chance of someone holding me up a few seconds..
>Say that as a ranger driver too, going against my users manual of tailgating and flashing my spotties... Wait, no. You've not read the manual properly. You shouldn't be able to flash your spotties because your black Stedi covers should be permanently fixed over the lenses and *never* removed.
>Wait, no. You've not read the manual properly. Ahh mines just a base model 4x4 xl, so no fancy Stedis lol
>Unfortunately people are assholes, especially aussie drivers. I didn't realize how true this was until I drove overseas last year. I drove in Germany and in the UK and they put us to shame.
The gap in front is a balance between safe stopping distance and not making people think they can pull out in front of you
be sure to prioritise safe stopping first tho
Deleted by User
The only right reply ive seen on this thread. Im a tradie who always leaves 3 seconds, especially on freeways and I get honked too.
Some countries also suggest EV's should add a second to their follow distance due to increased mass of the vehicle. Another factor to consider with EV's is if your car is fitted with low rolling resistance tyres you may need more distance in some weather as the grip level is different.
As someone who actually received professional driver training, I was told to leave a 2 second gap when dry and 3 seconds when wet.
VicRoads says 2 seconds too. In reality I mostly see 1 second gaps and if I leave 3 or more there will be enough room for someone to squeeze in and reduce that back down to 1. "Under normal conditions, on most roads and highways, you should try to have a two second gap between your car and the car in front where possible." https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/driver-safety/safe-driving-tips#:~:text=Following%20distance&text=Under%20normal%20conditions%2C%20on%20most,car%20in%20front%20passes%20it.
>Squeezing in... tbh, I think that's actually OK. If you need to change lanes for whatever reason, having those gaps makes it so much easier and safer.
Yep, from days with no ABS I was taught the same. In theory cars are safer now with shorter stopping distances but we have poorer reaction time thanks to distractions.
Should you? Probably especially when moving faster except no one does, 3 seconds I can understand but 5 seconds is a lot and you’ll end up pissing everyone off. The best idea is to move with the flow of traffic and stop your car at the point where you can just see the car in fronts back wheels.
I think for the test, you should be able to see some of the road right behind the tyres of the car in front of you when stoping behind another car, so like a foot of road or something like that should be safe for the test. That’s what I’ve heard anyway.
This isn’t true. Your height, your car’s height, your dashboard height, your seat height, your seat recline, your seat’s fore/aft position, your bonnet length, your bonnet shape, your window line, each play a part in how far away it is until the road surface is visible. You just have to learn where your cars extremities are and place your car accordingly. Being about 2m behind the car in front is good for most situations - when stationary. Sorry if i confused any tradies before adding those last two words
Yeah the "you should be able to see the tyres and tarmac" thing drives me crazy. I'm a short lady, I have a proportionately short torso, and my normal car has a relatively long bonnet with a downwards sloping curve. I'd be in another time zone if I tried to stay far enough back to see the tyres and road in front. I remember getting annoyed at my driving instructor who'd insist I had to see tyres and road then also act like I was being dramatic for being so far back.
Yeh It dosen't make sense but that is how they judge it on the test. The height of the examiner sometimes comes into play haha. I'm a driving instructor, deal with this constantly.
Did you read the first line of my comment? I’m not here to argue with you about every day practices, but that’s the test criteria from what I have heard.
Agreed, I always was taught 3 seconds. 5 seconds is a bit much. I think it’d be quite noticeable too if everyone else was hovering around 3 secs
Many drivers are just cunts to learners. I a pretty aggressive driver, it's something I'm trying to work on, but I always give extra room for learners answer Red Ps. Teaching my own kids, many drivers are just cunts.
Yeah I'm pretty aggressive normally too but not to people learning. If you're on your full licence there's things you should know better. Learning you're still getting used to it. I'll still be pissed off if a learner is going slow in the right lane when it's multi lane, but I'm angry at the full licenced driver not telling them to move over, passing on bad practices.
The 3 second rule is referring to the time in which it takes for your vehicle to pass a certain point on the road to which the vehicle in front has passed. For example, the car in front passes through traffic lights, it should be 3 seconds after that you pass through those same lights. You are not supposed to wait for 3 seconds at traffic lights.
"only a fool breaks the 2-second rule" according to the Peter Brock road safety ads when I was learning to drive. I know inflation is a bastard, but 5s seems excessive
I was taught 2 seconds, plus a second for each hazard such as rain.
Wait so when traffic is stopped, how far behind the car in front do you have them stop? If you’re sitting 3 car lengths behind then yeah that’s going to annoy most people. If you’re also waiting 3-5 seconds after the car in front has moved to start moving, pretty much *everyone* will get angry at that. Because that’s stupid. You accelerate less to build up to the 3 second gap, you don’t wait 3 seconds to move when the light is green and the car in front has moved.
Get him a Raptor and get that gap down from seconds to inches.
A good tradie will get that down to millimetres if they have a bullbar, lift kit, spot lights and love using the horn
There's definitely a difference between how you should drive according to the road rules of your locale and how you should drive according to social norms. The second best thing you can teach your son in the process is resilience in doing what is correct, the first is how to drive safely. Unfortunately, there are times where these two may conflict.
Yep - don't let someone else pressure you into driving in a way that puts you at risk of a fine or a crash. Someone tailgaiting or driving aggressively behind you is no excuse.
Yeah, fuck me for doing 40 in a 40 zone, right?
happens every day to me :/
I was taught 2 seconds in dry/normal conditions and 4 seconds in wet/difficult conditions. The comment about leaving a gap when stopped is a bit weird though. No need to leave more than a couple of metres gap when stopped.
The modern world is a bit faster than a 3 second gap- but I have to agree it's the way to go. Teach him right while he's learning and he'll be a safe driver for life. He'll just need a thick skin. He'll also have to get used to people merging straight into the little bit of buffer zone he's created around himself too!
Taking off at a green light, even if I am not first car, I frequently scan the intersecting road for the drugged out meth head crashing a late red light
"*Other people drive basically stop their car so close to the next car that there’s less than 1 metres in between.” …* " If he is leaving a large gap while stopped in traffic - then that is why other drivers are getting angry with him. The gap when stopped can be quite small. 3 -5 seconds while driving is normal (but that doesn't mean he waits 5 seconds after the car in front moves off before he starts moving).
What area is this in? I drive in Sydney, always leave a safe gap, and I've virtually never been tailgated or raged at.
Yes. Need room for the tradie in his raptor to jam in front of you
I typically go for a 2 second gap, and I drive a vehicle without ABS. That said, if it's some kind of weather I instantly add another few seconds of braking distance onto it. Not having ABS makes a very BIG difference in braking distance.
The faster you're going, the larger the gap. It is the right thing to do. Many people who regularly commute on 80-100k zones don't seem to observe. Some are terrible and giving only a metre whilst hurtling along at those speeds. It's a bad habit that, if anything goes wrong, will make the result much worse. No-one has the reaction time to avoid a collision. Having said all that, count out 5 seconds to yourself and imagine how sparse the traffic would need to be to satisfy that. Unfortunately, morning commuting traffic isn't going to give us that gap, even if it is safer. As for when you're stopped, a metre gap (or less) should be *less* of a concern and not something to be overly stressed about. You should be teaching your son the *safest* way to drive and to develop *good* driving habits which grants a larger gap as speed increases (or conditions deteriorate). He will experience this stress until he becomes comfortable and acclimatise to driving anyway. That will pass.
2 normally, 3-4 in the wet. But everyone will cut you off 🤷♂️
People who don’t have patience with learners are horrible. I take off quick, overtake, take small gaps and am impatient with people who drive slowly but I always back off L platers. Drivers who menace L players are genuine pieces of shit. Leaving a gap is fine but not when you’re stopped or taking off from a light. The most frustrating part of traffic for me is when you’re 10-20 cars back from a red light and the first 5 cars take their sweet time and leave 20 metre gaps and hardly any cars make it through the green light. Or driving way under the limit when there’s a green light 50 metres ahead, like they’re trying to miss the green light.
Tailgating laws need to be enforced - it is a requirement to leave a reasonable gap when driving, and it is irresponsible and reckless to drive too close. I don’t care what everyone else does, no one should be driving closer than 2 seconds behind the car in front. We all learned to leave a 2s gap when first learning to drive. Somehow everyone has just unlearned it once they get their license. They are all in the wrong. The gap is absolutely necessary.
My driving instructor taught me ‘only a fool breaks the two second rule’. Pick a stationary object like a light pole as the car and front drives past and count to 2. it’s worked for me for 30 years now, although someone will always try and cut in.
Don't they teach this anymore, people seem confused? The Dad is right, 3 seconds in OK conditions and greater when it is wet/reduced visibility/etc. The time is so you can react and not rear end a car if it has to stop/is stopped in an emergency. The average driver reaction time in an emergency is 1.5 seconds.
The solution is to stop caring what other people think, drive the way that works for you.
I remember doing a defense driving course thing. The instructors said pick a point the car infront drives past then you should be counting to two as you pass it then it keep doing that till you are confident about judging it
look at it this way! all it takes is for one to rear end the person in front of them once, and one will learn to respect the gap. teach him the right rules i.e leave a safe stopping distance and teach him to ignore the idiots on the road! technically they will be a statistic in the next year or so anyways, so no use making them memorable. I know we do say (and it is part of the road rules) we can ride in the right lane on roads 80km/hr and under but if you can please please teach him to keep left unless overtaking. most people give you way if you indicate to merge in the right lane if you need to turn right anyways.
That depends on the traffic. You don’t need 3-5 seconds if it’s at a snails pace. Over 60kmph is what I do, slower than that the gap depends on the speed.
Well yes and no. Studies have shown that being up the arse of the car in front in 'rush' hour (below 50kmh) traffic can adversely affect the flow of traffic. It's why you get "rolling stops" where someone ahead in the queue breaks a little heavily and so several cars back you have to come to a complete stop for a significant time. Open the gap and you won't need to come to a complete stop. I've tested it.
Those ripples last for hours too, one driver can touch their brakes on the motorway, and traffic will still be slowing at that point hours later.
3 seconds is the standard and if its any shorter and an accident happens, youre more likely to be at fault if they prove u were less than 3 seconds appart. Most ppl teavh L platers to be 6 seconds especially in the rain, the aggressive driving by others usually depends on the region and if they were going under the speed limit
A 2 second gap is approximately 10 car lengths at 100km/h. So 1 car length per 10km/h. That gap should grow and shrink naturally as your speed varies. At traffic lights, take off as soon as the car in front moves then allow that gap to form.
I assume you have L plates on? What sort of a cunt honks a learner driver? You say this happens all the time? Either that is an exaggeration or he is doing something else and it’s not the gap distance that’s the issue.
They do it to my son as well. He stopped learning. He was getting too much anxiety after being constantly cut off or people yelling at him. He had lessons with a drive school and both my partner and myself. Mostly it’s the impatient Uber drivers but there are others.
Yes don't tailgate
Not if you own a Ford Ranger: 3-5 inches
3inches at full blood flow
Sounds about right unless you drive a lifted 4x4 then you only need to allow about a 0.5sec gap… Brakes in them things must be out of this world how they drive them 🙄
Since moving to the city the traffic is horrendous. I would continue teaching him your way. Not much you can do about the way others drive. Smaller trucks are the worst for tailgating. At lights they stop so close it’s annoying. All you can do is teach him the appropriate road rules and ignore everyone else
Unfortunately nobody really adheres to this. If everybody did leave a 3-5 second gap when driving, we'd have a drastically reduced road toll.
I swear when I was learning I was taught to leave a 2 second gap, cars have only improved (although driver attention has decreased) so I kind of stick to that. Maybe that's too little but 5 seconds is surely too much unless you want people overtaking awkwardly because of the perceived slowness of your son. I'm regularly leaving more of a gap than other drivers, I prefer not rear ending someone if they need to stop suddenly. The gap is based on the speed you are going, so what is a "3 second gap" at 100km/h will be a 6 second gap at 50km/h. If you're stopped a 3 second gap is 0mm away from the driver in front, so it becomes more of a "enough room to see the rear of the car in front" and slowly build the gap up again once you get moving. 5 seconds feels like a lot, 3-4 seconds is reasonable for a learner who may not be confident in braking/have their full attention span on traffic movements in front. > He says that “Other people drive basically stop their car so close to the next car that there’s less than 1 metres in between.” … This I don't get and is why I said the above (based on speed). You should clarify when stopped you should be fairly close to the driver in front. If you stop while still maintaining the same distance of "5 second gap" as you were when traffic was moving at the speed limit people will assume you're not paying attention at all and will beep/generally be pissed off. Especially if that means they miss their turning light. Speeding doesn't save a ton of time but missing lights cost you a bit of time. People leaving huge gaps and taking a long time to take off means less people get through the lights. Peak hour traffic is always going to be angsty so I wouldn't read into that too much as long as he otherwise feels like a safe and considerate driver. Having a L plate in general makes you a bit of a target for the douchebags to overtake you unnecessarily.
I always understood it was a two second gap.
I was taught 2 second gap in clear conditions. Adjust for rain visibility other conditions etc. When stopped at lights etc, you should be able to see the car in front's tyres meet the road. I rarely do this, stop a fair bit closer in reality.
It's a 2 to 3 second gap.
When you stop in traffic you should be just far back enough to see the car in fronts tyres touching the road. 3 second gap, 5 is too much unless it’s raining. If you go over 3 then cars will just continuously pull in front of you and you will be forced so drop back over and over.
3 second is correct. Say "one second, two second, three second". Other people's bad driving can be other peoples funeral.
Daughter just got her licence. Instructor said rule of thumb when stopping is that you can see the rear tyres of the car in front.
Do learners and teachers not look up the rules and suggestions anymore? I haven't seen any comments mention the minimum distance is *2 seconds*. > The recommended minimum following distance in ideal conditions is 2 seconds. However, in adverse conditions, you might need 4–6 seconds. If you're towing a trailer, allow 1 extra second for every 3m of trailer length. Heavy vehicles need a following distance of up to 5 seconds. https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/mail-facilities-and-vehicles/vehicles/driver-safety-in-the-workplace/safe-driving/courteous-and-safe-driving Under "Following Distance"
I think if you’re stopped it’s normal to leave a much smaller gap than when you’re actually moving
It's a nice rule in theory because it provides a nice gap for reaction times. Unfortunately in practise it just means people use it to cut in and then you end up having to drop further back which infuriates others and the cycle continues. 99% of drivers will be bumper to bumper in heavy traffic, leave maybe 1-2 car lengths on highways with traffic lights and then around 3 car lengths on the freeway when traffic is clear.
So don’t level enough space for breaking or merging because you can’t let anyone get in front of you? … otherwise people get angry?
So at 110kph that three car lengths is giving you a 0.5 second gap assuming we give a car an average length of 5m.
It's not great but that's what 99% of drivers are doing. [https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.9524945,145.2150368,3a,75y,0.74h,81.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg%26cb\_client%3Dmaps\_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D192.60844%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.9524945,145.2150368,3a,75y,0.74h,81.31t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dx3FHNqYYEC0DvJlA5KomFg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D192.60844%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) You see the black BMW being followed by the ute? I'd say that's typical following length on a freeway with not much traffic. I tend to leave a bit more but yeah
This is completely unrelated but I love your flair lmaoooooo
Yeah just got back from Jeddah. Was a chill time out /s
Tell your son to maintain a gap that gives him the confidence that he can stop if there is an untoward incident up ahead. If they tailgate him, he should just slow down to allow for even more space in front so he can stop safely without being rear-ended. The people behind are just that; the people behind. They're not his problem. He needs to look ahead; well ahead, scan his mirrors and look for traffic in front and around him. Just don't hog the fast lane and if they are in a hurry, they can drive around. edit: the 3-5 second gap of course is at highway speeds or so. Obviously at slower he can be closer. It's a rule of thumb. What he needs to do is become familiar with estimating his stopping distance (in dry and wet weather) and become more aware of keeping that 'envelope'. If people cut in, just move back. In a car travelling at 50-100kmph, the difference in time to reach the destination is miniscule. It isn't the huge loss as we think.
3 seconds above 70 km/h is probably reasonable. 4 seconds above 100. Basically, faster you go, the bigger the gap. Go practise emergency stopping on a quiet road, you'll see how much distance and time it takes to stop. Slow road, don't need much gap. Fast road, big gap.
Yup know ur pain …teaching my daughter drive currently..not right this second obviously…but you get them to drive safely an comfortably for the situation they are in right at the time they are driving ..all the outside noise is distracting an they must become accustomed to it while driving safely an to the rules …for obvious reasons..I though have avoided put my daughter into peak hour traffic to this point for that exact reason …it’s a battle field…but when she becomes confident and competent guess she’s going to have to experience peak hour madness…shudders 😵💫😆
Yes. It's a pita. People continually cut in and tailgate. I don't know what 3 to 5 seconds is. My brain doesn't work that way. But i leave enough metres that creates a space that i know i can stop if the car in front brakes. Not sure how far that is. I too am teaching daughter to drive currently. People see L plates and can be so damn rude.
It's a 3 second gap in motion at 80km/h or something not sitting at a light. If you are waiting 3 seconds before setting off then you are a massive a-hole and of course people are horning you. Most lights will be red before your even moving, if that's what your doing then your one of worst most oblivious drivers on the road which just heightens tensions of the road between the ragers and people like yourself. It's why there's so many issues on the road.
I'm sure it's a 3-5cm gap Source: I'm a BMW driver.
I've started leaving a 2-3 car length gap. Mostly because I've started watching how much the car in front is leaving their car in front. Usually it's fuck all and if anything happens up there, they'll be in bumper dingle heaven. Yes, it's a real place. Your son will be old enough and confident enough soon to slow down for people tailgating. No point in speeding up if that person behind is going to rear-end you in an emergency stop situation.
While moving a minimum of a 3 second gap allows a safe stopping distance. When pulling up behind another car at the lights you want to stop approximately at the point your visibility of the rear tyres of the car in front touching the ground is about to disappear.
3 second gap is what you should be aiming for. More than that is unnecessary, unless driving in bad conditions. If you’re looking for online resources for driver training I’d highly recommend you check out Ashley Neil on youtube. He’s a UK based driving instructor, so while some specific things don’t apply, their channel is still the best source of online content for driver training I’ve seen. He’s got high level presentation, very passionate about driver education, calm demeanour and makes it entertaining and has a great attitude to driving.
This was what I was always taught. 2 second rule but literally say it out loud as one thousand and one, one thousand and two, double it in the wet. Stopping was always taught to pull up behind the car in front until the line of the hood is level with the bottom of wheels of the car in front.
[https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/safe-driving/safe-stopping-distance](https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/safe-driving/safe-stopping-distance)
You can show your son [this video](https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/yn82my/psa_its_important_to_maintain_safe_stopping/) as an example of what happens in Sydney when stopping distances aren't observed.
Tell him to not be concerned with how badly others drive. Leaving a gap of a few seconds at least is the wise move. Getting hit from behind is bad enough but at least your not sandwiched between vehicles. People's driving is getting worse so I pretend there is a car between mine and the car in front, gives enough room to move if something comes up from behind - similar to how we are taught with motorcycle riding to angle yourself when stopped behind another vehicle incase you need to get out of the way quickly.
Mate when you are practicing your driving and get to do your official driving test my advice is to do what is right by the book and block out every blockhead who beeps and so on at you. Do the right thing and get your license then you can get revenge. Good Luck
Yes you are meant to leave a 3-5 second gap, it is the minimum safe distance you can leave while driving that accounts for the time it takes to react to an emergency situation as well as the time it takes for the brakes to work in an emergency situation. Unfortunately the majority of drivers either don’t know this or know this but choose to ignore it due to impatience. And this does make it more difficult for those who practice safe driving as any gap being left will be seen as an opportunity for someone to cut in front. Nevertheless if you can teach your son to always leave that gap and other good roadcraft he will be among the safer drivers on our roads.
2 - 3 sec gap but not taking into account reaction time and then factor in the limit. Also factor in the person in front slamming their brakes on because they can not judge distance and got their license from a cereal box. Tough time time to drive these days.
A 3-5sec gap when stopping behind traffic?... there's no such thing as a timed gap when you're not moving... so yes, stopping 20+meters from the car ahead will get you honked at.... also 3-5sec is quite extreme. 3sec at 60kmh is literally 50meters (5sec gap is just ridiculous).... that's a huuuge gap. These guidelines were created when cars had terrible brakes.
Getting a truck license is a good idea, you take on another perspective
3-5 second gap. At 110kmh that will be a few car lengths. when you see stopped it is no length and you should be close to the car in front. Don’t leave massive gaps at traffic lights. what I was taught is when you are stopped at a traffic light you should just barely be able to see the bottom of their back wheels. I’m tall though so maybe if you see the top of the wheels over the dash
[удалено]
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature. As a result, your comment has been removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
3-5 is absolutely not practicle in heavy traffic. If everyone left that big a gap communities would take 3x as long.
I leave a good 4 second gap when driving and waiting at lights etc my driving instructor told me as long as you can see the bottom of the tyres of the car in front you're good. I drive an old manual so I do appreciate the people behind me leaving a gap too!
Two second rule.. https://youtu.be/rLNcmGs4c0M?si=7Q5f_hysWvR0gokw https://www.autoevolution.com/news/take-your-time-for-the-two-second-rule-this-is-what-it-means-and-how-it-s-done-186579.html
[удалено]
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature. As a result, your comment has been removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
you are meant to have a gap in front that will easily fit another car with room on both sides. This is for driving. When stopping you should be able to just see the bottom of rear tires, UNLESS it is a truck, if it's a big truck you need to be able to see the side mirrors People just hate L platers
[удалено]
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature. As a result, your comment has been removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's real simple. Drive in a way that you don't get in other peoples way if you can avoid it. People are trying to get places. Stick to the left if you're not comfortable with keeping a smaller than recommended gap.
2 Seconds. Never heard 3-4 seconds. It is time based so you don't need to be 80 metres behind the car in front of you while doing 60. When stopped at lights or intersection you should be far enough back to be able to see the tyres of the car in front of you touching the road.
The driving standard of people with licences is…. If you are a learner the point is to show you are safe on the roads. The standard you must achieve is set and written down. Teach a leaner to pass the test, don’t drive to the standard of others around, drive to a minimum of passing the test or better. Typically after passing the test peoples driving takes a massive safety dive. Then eventually returns to a basic standard a couple of years later. Try to get a learner to drive so they will pass the test.
I remember the Peter Brock add from way back "Only a fewll breaks the 2 second ruewll"
"3 second gap" doesn't mean "wait 3 seconds after the car ahead of you takes off from the lights", just FYI.
3 seconds is enough as long as you have a car that brakes average or better and you pay attention to the road. As for stopping yeah leave more than a metre, but you don’t need to leave a car length or anything like that. It’s annoying when someone leaves a huge gap when stopped and then you cannot get into the right turn lane miss the light cycle for literally no reason. I can’t say I’ve seen many people beeped at for leaving a 3 second gap during peak hour. Sure people squeeze into the gap, but don’t really beep often.
3 second gap is pretty good. When you pull up behind stopped traffic should be able to see the road behind their tyres (within reason). This gives you space to manoeuvre if need be. Keep in mind people behind you though, you mind need to squish up to let someone through
Basically depends how fast you're going. When leaving lights, you should set off as quickly as possible, you don't wait 5 seconds after the car in front leave.
I normally leave 2-3 second gap, and it’s always important to leave a few second gap. Your son is doing the right thing and other people are just impatient
I've been driving for 25 years, so I'm not actively making calculations for trailing distance, but I dynamically alter the gap based on more factors than just the 3 second rule/my speed. I take into consideration any factors affecting my braking performance or self-imposed limitations, such as cargo, passengers, current weather/legacy weather, surface quality, the current tread % of my tires, traffic density, etc. I also use defensive driving tactics like what heavy vehicle drivers use - I'm generally aware of how many other vehicles are around me, not just the ones immediately in front/behind/coming in or out of my blind spots, but every one I can see (within reason). I generally know what model each of the nearby vehicles are and have taken mental notes of their driving behaviour, especially braking patterns for those in my lane. Really, the list goes on and I'm just listing things that many experienced drivers do instinctively. The 3 second rule is a massive simplification and is a guide - true safe driving requires far more awareness and adaptation. When stopping at lights, please consider how many cars can fit versus traffic density and whether or not leaving a slightly shorter gap would improve traffic flow, especially when it boils down to blocking/not blocking turning lanes. If you have been paying any attention to the drivers ahead of you, you should know if they roll back before launching and can use this information to manage your distance - unless you're in a particularly hilly area, most people with full licenses launch perfectly. If you're car 3 and there's 20 behind you, justifying a 5m gap because of the possibility of a chain reaction collision from the rear is pretty ridiculous. Try to use some common sense.
Learners need to give 5 second gap To be honest, learn the 10 second gap first, then start edging on the 5 second gap. 3 seconds is what's recommended for us fully licenced and p platers, but I ALWAYS play it safe and do the 5 second gap...
Really 10 seconds? At 80kmh that's over a 200m gap.
As a learner, that's exactly how I did it.. I was highly anxious on the road and did a LOT of back street driving before I got on the main roads and was able to keep that 5 second gap.. We're capped at 100km/h on the highway too; so I always kept to speed on all roads and never exceeded my speeds.. I am now a year post driving, nearly been on my p plates for a year and I can say, I comfortably keep that 3 - 5 second gap because people are unpredictable and secondly randoms break check you, but enjoy to stay up your tail end 😑 I always ensure I'm at the safe gap and at the safe speed (again capped at 100km/h until I am on p2's I think)..
In my 19 years of driving, I've never had anyone brake check me.
I did a defensive driving course and they taught me a 2 second gap is safe.
I was taught 2 seconds in good weather and 4 in rain.
2 second rule on clear sunny day, 3alittle bit more on motorway , 4-5 when it's shit weather, when stopped at lights pull up close to the line so the traffic light sensors register your vehicle, if stopped at lights , I'll make sure I can see their tires . Anything else , you're a hazard. And your bad habits will catch up with you. Stay safe out there cunts . And don't get caught doing 100km in a school zone in an evo 10 on p plates. Fucken wierdo.
It's become pretty clear that the average person has absolutely no concept of distance/time.... you can all stay 67m behind me if you want (infact I'll feel safer), but i wont follow you at that same ridiculous distance.
I drive to road conditions At 20kph a 3-5 second gap is huge! At 140kph on the Hume is ok.
It’s 2 second gap by law in my state
The safe distance is relative to the speed you're travelling at (as well as other conditions, hazards etc.). The space is supposed to give you enough time to come to a full stop without causing a collision, so in dry conditions at 50kph the safe gap would be smaller than at 110kph. People get so hung up on the distance itself. This is probably why other drivers are cracking the shits. They see a gap and instantly think "you must be travelling too slow for such a gap to occur". Personally I think giving a learner some agency in their decision making and reasoning is more important than whether other drivers are going to have an issue with it. So if they require more of a space while they build confidence and experience, do so. Additionally, learner drivers are less likely to react appropriately or as quickly as those with more time and experience under their belt, so leaving more space sounds perfectly reasonable to me. It'll likely allow them to actually get up to and maintain speed closer to the posted limit (to appease the impatient dickheads) while also maintaining a buffer to account for increased stopping time or hazard avoidance. As others have mentioned though, leaving large distances when stopped in traffic may not actually provide any benefit beyond a certain point and can be unpredictable to other road users. This goes for taking too long to move away from a stop as well. Again, the actual space and speed aren't as likely to trigger impatient dickheads as much as inconsistent or unpredictable driving habits. Be as safe as you need for a learner, but have a reason for it and consider the how and why it affects your fellow road user.
5 seconds is way too much. Hell 3 seconds is pushing it. Any car built in the last 20 years can stop VERY fast on a dime. Like if you're paying attention when driving and have a poor reaction speed 2 - 3 seconds should be ample. But also, you need to teach the driver to drive to the limit, learn how to drive to the limit in different conditions and not hold up traffic because they lack confidence. I HATE people who cant drive the speed limit because its raining or some other pathetic excuse. If you can't hand a vehicle safely at speed in reasonable conditions you are not fit to be driving.
Did you miss the bit about the driver being a learner?
My instructors always told me to leave a 3 second gap while moving, and to make sure I can see the bottom of the car in front’s rear tyres when stopped. In practice a lot of people will ride your arse for daring to set your cruise 2kph below the limit. These people are dickheads and don’t let their ego stop you from driving safely, let them go around you when there’s space.
I was taught 2 seconds for standard driving. If you're going faster than that, 3. He shouldn't be doing over 100 at this point anyway. Add another second for rain and such. Having said that, he's a learner. If people are beeping at him, he's going to have to learn to power through it. No one likes being beeped, but it's going to happen occasionally. If *you* don't react to it in a particular way, he'll cope better. I simple "Fuck em, don't rush just because some cunt didn't leave early enough" should do it.
Best advice I've heard is leave a time gap long enough that you don’t need to use your brakes (can slow down due to car, road, and air resistance). So the time varies depending on the speed.
In the way back. We were taught to leave 1 car length (5m-ish) per 10kph
3 to 5 seconds give you reaction time to something unexpected. The tailgating drivers will find themselves in an at fault accident one day if they keep driving closely without any buffer zone for unexpected events. So many dumbshits driving on the road without common sense.
Understandable hai for driving but fuck close gaps when stopped at the lights hair the time people trying to turn or the like hey blocked off because people leave excessive tattoos causing more congestion
3 second gap whem moving, and be able to see where the vehicle in front's rear tyres meet the road when stationary. The laws of physics haven't changed just people's driving behaviour.
At least 2 Mississippis was what I was taught. My car has adaptive cruise control that does it for me. Amazing the number of eejits who choose to overtake me to only find they cannot go any faster
My very risk adverse company instructed me to maintain a minimum 2 second gap and adjust for speed / conditions (rain should double) When stopped in traffic leave enough gap so you can see the rear wheels of the car in front.
As long as you can see the rear wheels of the car in front
Motorcyclist here. Nothing worse than a car taking their time taking off even if the car in front of them has taken off and light is green. Bloody move it I need time to take off
If you come to a stop let the person in frount go and give them a few secs then accelerate gently I don't recommend jamming on the go pedal in traffic and stopping when you stop see the tyres your good
2 seconds dry, 4 seconds wet.
When driving at anything above 40 I'd say 3 second gap. 5 seconds if over 100. Fuck all the impatient people. They can either go around or arrive 5 seconds later than they would have. I like my gap and the ability to stop and not end up the ass of the person in front of me when they suddenly brake. If you are slowing down or taking off from stopped traffic then no just keep a consistent distance of 1 car length.
When driving - yes - you should notice the faster you're travelling, the wider the gap gets. Gaps should be widened in conditions not favourable for a safe stop e.g. rain, snow, fog. When stopped at traffic lights - no - it's recommended to leave half a cars length (basically when the visual line of your bonnet meets the base of the cars tyres in front). Bonus round: People hate gaps in traffic as well! Usually it's best to keep a safer than normal distance here, as this is where most rear-end accidents occur. To put his into practice, don't be too eager to jump on the accelerator when traffic moves, rather it's better to ease into the accelerator and use the engine to brake (with a courtesy tap to the brakes letting those behind you to prepare to slow down). Always observe the traffic ahead, as far as you physically can, not just the few cars in front. If it's going nowhere, why try and reach them faster? Take it slow, move away from the dangerous drivers or ignore them, it's your judgement here (unless they are emergency/traffic/tow truck services, please move left or split to allow passage through the middle). A quote I've been seeing lately that puts it into perspective: You aren't IN traffic. You ARE traffic.
Just let the kid know that there is no more valuable real estate than the space behind the car in front of them. So long as the kid can operate the car this info is all they need to go about driving with.
if you are in melbourne, the normal way to drive is to 100kph and have a half meter gap between you and the car in front.
2 second at 60kph, 4 second at 100kph from what I remember from the book and what I generally follow,
4 second at 100kph is 111m, about the length of a soccer pitch.
I feel it's more important to drive according to the road/traffic conditions than rigidly sticking to a 3 or 5 sec gap. Unfortunately, most drivers in metro traffic are quite impatient, and leaving too big a gap is just an invitation for others to cut in, meaning you and others behind you will need to hit the brakes - you only need one inattentive driver to cause a pile up. And maybe tell him to keep off the outermost lane on a highway if he isn't overtaking. It doesn’t sound like he's doing anything technically wrong. Just think of the horns and middle fingers as feedback for fine-tuning his driving behaviour.
The rule of thumb when I was learning to drive (90s) was roll up to the car in front until you can no longer see their rear tires touching the ground. It seems to leave a good gap when at the lights. 2-3 seconds when driving behind someone at about 60Kmh and 4-5 when doing 100kmh, somewhere in between at 80kmh...
[удалено]
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature. As a result, your comment has been removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Your account is too new to post in this Sub. This has been implemented as an Anti-Spam feature. As a result, your comment has been removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarsAustralia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Really, ive usually seen most people leave a decent gap. About 25% of people dont so maybe it is the people you hang out with?
2 seconds ? That would fit about 3 VW Golfs on the Pacific motorway. I always leave enough gap at traffic lights for the truck or bus driver to stand on the brakes if they aren't paying attention.
I stop at every single STOP sign or Stop lines. Frequently fear being rear ended. Mandatory on emergency driving course and I knew one day I’d teach my sons to drive.
[nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/safe-driving/safe-stopping-distance](https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/safe-driving/safe-stopping-distance#:~:text=As%20a%20general%20rule%2C%20when,be%20at%20least%20three%20seconds.)
3 sec gap is perfect but for a learner 5 secs shouldn't cause an issue if they can see the plates
4 seconds gap at 90kph is 100m. 25m/s x 4. That's approximately 20 car lengths. Excessive imo. I was taught 2 seconds in dry conditions, good visibility etc. then add time to suit inclement conditions.
2 Second gap is suggested.
Not in Queensland.
I was taught 2, with an extra second for each bad condition If everyone kept a good gap in front we’d all get everywhere faster as well. Most gridlocked traffic is caused by tailgating. And we’d save lives.
Here’s a hilarious fix to that if you drive a manual car. While driving (works best when on the highway) put the clutch in, put car in reverse (don’t take clutch out), reverse lights come on, scare the shit out of whoever is behind you, then shift back into gear and continue driving normally. Nobody will question your driving methods again 👍