How to Determine the Distance of the Vehicle Behind?
2 Answers
Methods to determine the distance of the vehicle behind are: 1. When the rear vehicle fills the rearview mirror, the actual distance is about one meter; 2. When the rear vehicle occupies about two-thirds of the rearview mirror, the actual distances are approximately three meters and five meters; 3. When the rear vehicle occupies about half of the rearview mirror, the actual distances are approximately five meters and nine meters; 4. When the rear vehicle occupies about one-third of the rearview mirror, the actual distances are approximately ten meters and twelve meters. Methods to determine the distance of the vehicle on the left are: 1. You can use the protruding point of the left wiper of the car as a reference. When the protruding point aligns with the ground marking line or an object, it indicates the position where the wheel is about to travel; 2. If the lower left edge aligns with the marking line or an object, it means the distance between the vehicle and this position is about 60 centimeters.
Judging the distance of vehicles behind me is part of my daily driving routine. When I'm behind the wheel, I primarily rely on the rearview mirror to estimate: if the car behind appears very small in the mirror, it's at least 50-100 meters away; if it occupies more than half of the mirror's space, it might be only 10-20 meters away, which calls for extra caution. I also turn my head to check blind spots, especially when changing lanes or driving at high speeds, to avoid accidents. Nowadays, some cars come equipped with parking sensors or camera systems—those audible alerts or screen displays that directly show distance readings are very user-friendly. In poor weather conditions like rain or fog, I slow down and double-check more frequently since reduced visibility can affect judgment. Overall, developing the habit of regularly adjusting mirrors and maintaining a safe following distance is crucial.
