How to Judge Distance While Driving?
2 Answers
Methods for judging distance while driving are as follows: 1. The width of urban road lanes is approximately 3 meters, meaning when a vehicle drives in the center of the lane, there will be about 50-60 centimeters of space on both sides. 2. When the extension line of the lane divider is about 10 cm away from the lower left corner of the windshield, the vehicle is approximately 50-60 cm away from the left lane; this method can also be used to judge the distance from traffic barriers or curbs on the left. 3. When the windshield washer aligns with the lane divider, the vehicle is also about 50-60 cm away from the right side.
After driving for so many years, I mainly rely on experience and some simple techniques to judge distances. On the highway, I keep an eye on the space between the car in front and me, maintaining at least a three-second gap: I pick a roadside billboard or tree as a reference point, start counting 'one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three' when the car in front passes it, and if I haven't reached that point yet, it means the distance is safe. In the city, I like to use road markings as aids, such as the width of lane lines or the spacing between utility poles to estimate position. When reversing, checking the rearview mirror is a good method—if the car body appears smaller in the mirror, it means it's farther away; if it looks bigger, it's too close. During my beginner days, I often practiced parking in open spaces, using sticks on the ground to repeatedly get a feel for it. Remember, don't rely solely on your eyes; changes in speed also affect judgment, such as longer braking distances on rainy days, so you need to leave more room.
