Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

5zalot t1_itz12rg wrote

So, what you’re saying is follow at a safe distance. This is exactly the reason for leaving 1 car length for every 10 MPH

56

GrouchySquash8923 t1_itzc6sn wrote

0 mph = 0 car length in between, got it xD

29

pyrosisflame t1_itz2j7s wrote

2 second rule is much easier to gauge. “Only a fool breaks for the 2 second rule”

13

zapdado2002 OP t1_itz65wu wrote

well yeah, but when it comes to a road block and u have to completely stop, everyone glues themselves as close to the car in front as possible. U dont need braking distance if ur stationary right? noone thinks of someone hitting them from behind tho

8

Smacpats111111 t1_iu01at2 wrote

Any "rules" about following distance are impractical and honestly not very useful. Follow at a distance where you can stop if you need to. Lots of things effect this, such as speed, road conditions, how awake you are, how far ahead you're looking, etc. There's no magic rule for how far you should follow.

If I'm on I-91 in rural Vermont in a snowstorm at 11pm, I'm leaving 50 car lengths between me and the guy in front of me. If I'm on I-78 in suburban NJ and high on caffeine and have a bunch of people trying to cut into my lane right in front of me, I'm following at less than 5 car lengths. It's situational.

7

doctafknjay t1_iu1f19j wrote

Or if you're on i-76 in Philly, you ride the person's ass in front of you because the Littlest bit of room and some douche is gonna take it

7

Smacpats111111 t1_iu1fl9k wrote

78 in NJ is a similar principle. You give a car length in front of you and someone will take it. What’s yours is mine.

3

jradio t1_iu136gc wrote

Yellow light time is 1 second for every 10MPH of the posted speed limit

1

Azudekai t1_iu2l5cw wrote

All fun and games until other cars fill in your "safe distance"

1

ILikeLamas678 t1_itz0ixh wrote

Using your hazard lights could help alert the driver behind you something is up and will increase your chances of not being pancaked.

16

more_sluggish t1_itz3er5 wrote

Also, pump the brakes (brake on, then brake off, rather than constant braking) will make your brake lights go on and off which is more noticeable than constantly on or off so will help to catch the next drivers attention.

12

werepat t1_iu12qu3 wrote

I lived in Germany for a couple years and if anything out of the ordinary happened and you were in a car, you were supposed to turn the hazard lights on.

Any traffic hazard, slow down, vehicle disabled and best, traffic camera, were met with everyone turning on their hazards and alerting everyone else behind them to slow down and be more cautious.

I have taken that back to the US, but it hasn't caught on just yet.

3

mogoexcelso t1_iu2xcaq wrote

Same experience in México. They even use hazards to warn drivers traveling the opposite direction. It took a few close calls with cattle in the road for me to catch on, but I really appreciated it once I did. For how bad drivers can be in Mexican cities, the rural drivers are some of the best I ever encountered.

2

Quiverjones t1_iu0yr4f wrote

Yep. If you have to slow or you see a large animal crossing, pop them hazards.

2

International_Brief5 t1_itzrdtq wrote

That creates confusion, please don’t do that.

−6

ILikeLamas678 t1_itzs6le wrote

Hazard warning lights are a driver-controlled system that causes all turn signal lamps to flash at the same time. Its purpose is to alert oncoming cars to the presence of an emergency, thus the name. They generally flash repeatedly to better draw other drivers’ and passengers’ attention.

9

Smacpats111111 t1_iu01jw9 wrote

Hazard lights can indicate a variety of things (and basically never indicate "we're stopping now"), brake lights automatically indicate "we're stopping now". You do not want to distract people from the brake lights. People are trained to hit the brakes when they see red, you do not want to confuse them by adding more flashing lights. If you want to get people's attention, pump the brakes. Please never use the hazards to indicate that traffic is slowing down.

−9

zapdado2002 OP t1_iu0won3 wrote

where i live, hazard light on a highway are an automatic sign that theres a jam in front. pumping breaks would not be as obvious

4

EmperorPenguinNJ t1_iu17fz9 wrote

Hazard lights are a standard when you’re disabled at the side of the road. How would they not apply in this situation?

2

Smacpats111111 t1_iu1egxp wrote

Because you’re in the road. When I see a guy flip on his hazards in traffic, I’m probably thinking that something broke and he’s pulling over, or something else is wrong. My first instinct isn’t “oh he’s announcing he’s braking” because brake lights already announce that.

0

mogoexcelso t1_iu2y17v wrote

Except brake lights don’t indicate “we’re stopping now” they indicate “I’m using the brakes right now”.

Hazards used appropriately always mean “be careful” or “don’t hit me” or “I’m stopped in the road”. All of which 100% clearly indicate what following drivers need to know about a vehicle that is going to suddenly stop on the road.

1

4682458 t1_itz2jyb wrote

Said so in my state highway driving manual. And probably every drivers ed instruction.

14

Glittering_Airport_3 t1_itzlyvy wrote

I never had to take drivers ed and the test I took is 20+ years old now, and idk about you but idr details like this, from books i read 1 time, for that long

7

4682458 t1_iu1ra9q wrote

I actually studied the manual for my test because I'm thay type of person that has to get good grades on tests.😖

1

BilboSR24 t1_itz4g49 wrote

Not a bad tip, but rather unpractical. Sadly when other drivers see that space, odds are they'll move into that space in a lot of situations. So maintaining distance on a highway is very hard to achieve (at least in my commute)

14

Glittering_Airport_3 t1_itzm53c wrote

yea this has always been my problem, I like to drive safely and leave that space but it only means I get cut off constantly on the highway then I'm stuck tailgating some asshole

9

werepat t1_iu13whg wrote

what? No, just slow down again and create space. the extra 10 or 20 feet of distance between a car that jumped in front isn't going to make you but a fraction of a second late.

−1

Crazyhunt t1_iu1x3p3 wrote

You ever get cut of every day in stop and go traffic? It’s not about being late it’s about managing aggression and road rage so my day isn’t ruined by my morning commute with a bunch of asshats cutting me off

4

mogoexcelso t1_iu2wdwh wrote

Got a car with auto-cruise control and my outlook changed immediately. I keep the following distance maxed out and the speed set to 75. No one cuts me off… they’re just passing. They’re comfortable following closer, more power to them, they can do that. It’s not personal, and leaving 5 minutes sooner is a fair trade off for 30 minutes of peace. I just put on some good music, sip my coffee, and watch the sun rise.

Edit: if it’s stop and go, get behind a semi, no one is going to cut you off to follow a truck.

1

werepat t1_iu1z4wk wrote

No, I actually stopped commuting in a car because it got so ridiculous.

I bought a DRZ400 and have used it to cut traffic, pop curbs, blast through parking lots and generally not sit in traffic.

I was living in Norfolk, VA and needed to get on base, but the 5 miles surrounding the place was a parking lot from 5:30 to 7:30 am.

Not much in my life has felt better than that.

0

ackermann t1_iu3ij2r wrote

Well, you only have to leave the gap until another car stops behind you.
Then the guy behind you offers you some protection.

1

DivvySUCKS t1_itz23az wrote

Jam on the brakes to leave a lot of room in front of you thereby causing the person behind you to rear end you when they may not otherwise. Sweet tip bro.

8

zapdado2002 OP t1_iu0vq6e wrote

how you achieve the distance is up to u my guy. you do u

0

DivvySUCKS t1_iu50x99 wrote

"you do you" is such a smarmy, condescending, backhanded phrase.

So you give a shitty tip, a bunch of people call it out as a shitty tip, and then you make an edit to say no one understands the point. Personally I would just admit that it's not a great tip, but hey, you do you.

1

zapdado2002 OP t1_iu64dtc wrote

Oh plenty people understood the point. Ur one of the rare few people who completely missed it.

1

DivvySUCKS t1_iu66nzq wrote

So rare that you needed to add an edit? Oh sweetie...

1

calguy1955 t1_iu0eqz7 wrote

That only works if you’re on a single lane road. If it’s more than that some a-hole is going to pull in in front of you.

8

TootBreaker t1_iu0802z wrote

I've always been doing this, and there was one time this habit has saved me. A few years back, a really bad storm had washed out a bridge. There was a single lane temporary bridge put in with portable stop lights and powered arms. I was right behind a large pickup truck at the stop. I had just put my car into neutral and was looking at my rear view mirror, when an Astro van came into view going 45 like there wasn't any problem with the bridge. I could see the driver was looking at a passenger, like they were talking. I got back into 1st and was hitting the gas before I could decide if I really needed to move. There was a moment when I didn't have time to actually think, more like I had the feeling of 'F-This Shit!' I floored it, dumped the clutch and yarded the wheel hard over to the right and then stomped on the brakes just as I was about to pass the truck. I was about to either hit the stop sign, or go into the ditch. I looked back at where I had been and that van was stopped with only one foot to spare, the driver looking at me with a scared look on his face. I let them go in front of me when the light changed & kept plenty of distance

I have to wonder, if there hadn't been any vehicles sitting there if that driver would've slid his van into the river. There was only 20 more feet before reaching a section of roadbed that was tilted downwards into the water & visibly broken away from the roadbed. Only a few safety cones with plastic ribbon blocking that

5

SternLecture t1_iu0ksux wrote

Anytime you stop unexpectedly put on your hazard lights.

4

mkultra50000 t1_iu1tt0s wrote

This is how traffic jams happen. Unused space on the road is like unused space on a conveyor belt. People forcing “plenty” of space create ripples of empty space on the road. Just fucking follow at a reasonable distance and signal brake as you go.

4

Glittering_Airport_3 t1_itzliqf wrote

this is why you should ALWAYS leave space between the car in front of you. even stoplights/ signs.

2

GrandPattyPurp t1_iu08di1 wrote

If you have to stop suddenly turn on your hazards so people behind you know something is up.

2

Chevbot2 t1_iu0mxp6 wrote

Also turn those hazard lights on!

2

Modsda3 t1_iu15knf wrote

Some space. NOT the football field between you and the car in front of you I see daily on my commute. Yes this applies to you tesla owners as well. You and prius drivers are the worst offenders here in the East Bay.

2

imnotsoho t1_iu23ca9 wrote

You dump on Tesla drivers, but the worst drivers I have ever seen are Uber and Lyft drivers.

3

Modsda3 t1_iu283ht wrote

i believe with the tesla its a matter dialing the auto-follow feature or whatever it's called back way too far. the aggravation i see other drivers go through trying to get around them would be comical at times if not for the dangers it poses and the unnecassary contribution to traffic congestion.

no argument on the gig drivers, i simply forgot somehow the rage inducing the way most of them drive

1

salvodan t1_iu15suy wrote

My brother was driving a crappy old Vectra as a work car. Driving home one night in heavy rain and heavy traffic, there were a lot of cars that had veered off the road and were filling up the roadside ditch. The traffic was at a standstill.

He stopped about 2 metres behind the car in front and since it didn’t look like it was going anywhere soon, put the car in park and put the handbrake on.

The Probationary driver was looking at all the cars in the ditch and didn’t realise that the traffic had stopped. She hit the Vectra so hard that the boot lid was level with the rear window. The seatbelt pretensioner went off when my brother hit the car in front, she he had accelerated to over 40km/h in the 2 metres. We did the maths later on and she must have been driving at over 100km/h to transfer that much momentum (in an 80 zone, in the rain, approaching an intersection that always had traffic backed up).

Because the Vectra was an old shitbox, the non-working radio fell out, onto the passenger floor and started working again, tuned into a Country & Western station. My brother had whiplash and couldn’t move. When the Paramedics arrived, the first thing he asked them to do was turn off the radio.

In the end, because the car in front and the Probationary driver had the same insurance company, they claimed that all damage to the vehicle in front was my brothers fault for not allowing a large enough gap. They also claimed that since my brother had the park brake on and transmission in Park, he contributed to her not stopping because she didn’t see his brake lights. Because it was a work car with corporate insurance, his employer didn’t fight it and made him pay the excess.

2

imnotsoho t1_iu22uzm wrote

You brother did contribute to this accident by not having brake lights on, no flashers. Was he not aware he was the last in line?

1

salvodan t1_iu2shtd wrote

You could also assay that he contributed to being in a car on the road at the time. The proportion of contribution from not having visible brake lights (only park lamps), when the entire column of cars in front of him had brake lights was negligible, compared with speeding in the wet and not paying attention.

1

imnotsoho t1_iu22981 wrote

More importantly, if you are the last car in line when you come to a stop flash your brake lights several times or put on your flashers. If the car behind you is 50 car lengths back and you just have steady brake lights they might not realize you are stopped especially if the sun is at a bad angle. Do what you can to get their attention.

2

JumpingDragonfly t1_iu00t80 wrote

Especially when the other lanes are moving normally. This has happened to me and got rear ended badly. Over 20 years later and I’m still battling with my neck and back.

1

Seven_Dx7 t1_iu0bpts wrote

Hear me out.

With room in front of me, If a car hits my vehicle from the rear, then all of the force will be transfered through my rear crumple zone and their forward crumple zone, and then on to my vehicle. So thus I have to crumple zones and will receive the brunt of their force as they cause my vehicle to accelerate.

If I am right behind the car in front of me, then I will be pushed into that vehicle as well and then my front crumple zone and their rear crumple zone will absorb more of the initial force and my vehicle will pass force on the the front vehicle instead of absorb the force in the form of acceleration. In this scenario we have double the amount of buffers absorbing the initial force and extending the impact time, and thus less force experienced by my vehicle.

1

werepat t1_iu1571m wrote

The car in front of you is not "absorbing" force, it's imparting a force. Your vehicle is the one absorbing the force of the one that hit you.

You're saying you'd like to have two collisions as opposed to one.

4

XTraumaX t1_iu1ad0x wrote

“I would much rather mess up some unfortunate 3rd persons day because I refuse to mitigate potential damage to others by leaving space between us.”

That’s what you sound like right now

1

zapdado2002 OP t1_iu0v323 wrote

well id rather be pushed few meters making use of the tire friction and then use front persons crumple zones then to go directly into them. and also if u steer while being pushed, you could manouver yourself a bit more and maybe avoid crumpling all together

0

q3triad t1_iu0f29l wrote

Or maybe just learn to drive like the rest of us

1

Ubelsteiner t1_iu11si1 wrote

It’s also nice in case you want to pull a U turn and find another route. Also, having your car cabins air intake a bit further away from the car in front of yous exhaust is never a bad thing.

1

ScenicPineapple t1_iu142cn wrote

I started doing this more and more the last couple years. Accidents in my area have more than doubled, and most of them are due to distracted driving. Heck, if people didn't lie so much, i'd venture to say 98% of them are due to distracted driving.

Also my state is a no fault state and if your insurance company deems you even slightly responsible, you gotta pay or your premiums go up. So it's best to just keep that extra 5-8 feet in front of you for cushion.

1

shellie_badger t1_iu32hfh wrote

Do yall not do hazards when there's a sudden traffic jam or blockage? Where I'm from, you put hazards if you're at the back so people can see and slow down

1

tapiocatsar t1_iu3375g wrote

I got rear ended last year but didn’t hit the car in front of me because I wasn’t hit that hard, and I deliberately left space in front of me.

When I was 12 or 13, I was a passenger when my stepdad was driving his parent’s subaru that we borrowed to move furniture. We were stopped at a light and a guy rear ended us doing 40 because he fell asleep at the wheel. We were close enough to the car in front of us to tap them, fortunately not too hard (and there was a baby in there too!) Guy who hit us totaled his car. Terrifying experience, and the poor guy in front of us went nuts on my stepdad because he thought we rear-ended him, he was furious because his baby was in the car. Then he saw the ruined car behind us and was like “…oh.”

Everyone was fine, guy who hit us was mostly just…well his glasses were sideways and his hair was sticking up everywhere, but he was okay too.

1

eliphas0 t1_iu34qx2 wrote

Try paying attention to what's going on and signal breaking instead. (Tapping the brake pedal a couple of times before applying the brakes).

1

Flair_Helper t1_iu7vedc wrote

Hello zapdado2002, thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, it has been removed for the following reason:

Your post is not a life pro tip. Advice is any guidance or recommendation concerning prudent future action. An aphorism is a short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth or a concise statement of a principle.Try r/YouShouldKnow.

If you would like to appeal this decision please feel free to contact the moderators here. Do not repost without explicit permission from the moderators. Make sure you read the rules before submitting. Thank you!

1

keepthetips t1_ityz45y wrote

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

0

willett_art t1_itzcoez wrote

If everyone did that traffic would be several times longer. Don’t listen to this person

0

zapdado2002 OP t1_iu0vk8h wrote

traffic would be longer sure but wouldnt move much slower, id say compared to dying thats a good tradeoff

−1

werepat t1_iu15eia wrote

It would not move slower, either. Look up "traffic busting" to see how more space keeps everyone moving, resulting in fewer people braking and slowing down traffic behind them.

2

phrogfixer46 t1_iu1n5ud wrote

Defensive driving 101! Amongst one of the first things taught when you get your driver's license

0