How to Avoid Rear-End Collisions on Highways?
2 Answers
Methods to avoid rear-end collisions while driving on highways are as follows: 1. Maintain a steady speed: Drive at a constant speed and avoid speeding. 2. Stay in one lane as much as possible: Avoid weaving between lanes and refrain from sudden braking or stopping without warning in the driving lane. 3. Overtake decisively and promptly: When overtaking, pay attention to your vehicle's condition. After passing another vehicle, do not immediately return to the driving lane. Instead, signal and return to the lane only after maintaining a distance of 50-100 meters from the overtaken vehicle. 4. Use necessary warning signals when stopping: If you need to pull over temporarily due to a malfunction, turn on the right turn signal in advance to exit the driving lane. Park in the emergency lane or on the right shoulder; stopping in the driving lane is prohibited. Additionally, turn on the hazard lights and place a warning sign 150 meters behind the vehicle. 5. Overcome adverse weather conditions: On rainy days, avoid emergency braking and sharp turns. Maintain a distance from the vehicle ahead that is twice the normal distance required on clear days.
After driving for so many years, my experience in preventing rear-end collisions on highways can be summarized in three words: distance, speed, and attention. In terms of distance, I make it a habit to maintain at least a two-second gap with the car in front. Simply put, you pick a reference point and count two seconds after the car ahead passes it before you reach the same point. Don’t speed recklessly—if the limit is 120 km/h, I drive at 100 km/h. In case of traffic congestion, ease off the accelerator early to slow down instead of braking hard at the last moment. For attention, keep your eyes and ears open—not just focusing on the road ahead but also checking the rearview mirror for changes in traffic behind. Rest is also crucial; take a break at service areas every two hours to relax for a few minutes, as fatigue is a major cause of accidents. In bad weather, be extra cautious—increase your following distance in rain and use fog lights to improve visibility. These small habits have kept me safe over 100,000 kilometers and minimized the risk of accidents.
