How to Judge Distance While Driving?
3 Answers
Methods to determine the distance between vehicles are as follows: 1. When the lower edge of the rear wheel of the front car aligns with the lower edge of the windshield: the distance is 3-5 meters. 2. When the lower edge of the front car's bumper aligns with the lower edge of the windshield: the distance is about 2 meters. 3. When the upper edge of the front car's bumper aligns with the lower edge of the windshield: the distance is 0.5-1 meters. Other situations are as follows: 1. When the rear car's image occupies the entire rearview mirror: the distance is about 3 meters. 2. When the rear car's image occupies two-thirds of the rearview mirror: the distance is about 5 meters. 3. When the rear car's image occupies half of the rearview mirror: the distance is about 9 meters. 4. When the rear car's image occupies one-third of the rearview mirror: the distance is about 12 meters.
When I first started driving, I was especially afraid of scratches and dents. Later, I figured out some tricks. For example, when waiting at a red light, observe the position of the car in front: when your car's front just covers the lower edge of the rear wheel of the car ahead, you're about 1.5 meters away; if you completely cover the rear bumper, don't go any further. For parallel parking, check the side mirrors: when one-third of the rear car's headlights appear at the lower edge of your mirror, the distance is roughly 30 centimeters. When reversing, watch the interior rearview mirror: stop immediately when the rear car's license plate disappears from the mirror, indicating a distance of about 0.5 meters from the rear. The most practical tip is to observe the road markings in the side mirrors: keeping a fist's width between the lines and your car on both sides means you're centered. These skills were honed through daily commutes. New drivers can get the hang of it with a few more observations.
When I was a driving instructor at the driving school, I noticed that students often misjudged distances. Here's a simple trick: use the lower edge of the windshield as a reference. For example, if the vehicle ahead is an SUV, when the windshield just cuts to the middle of its tires, you're about 2 meters away. If you can fully see the license plate of a sedan, there's still over 3 meters of space. When turning right, check the right-side mirror—if you can fully see the curb in the mirror, you won't scrape the wheel rims. In traffic jams, just keep the rear wheel contact point of the car ahead in sight. On the highway, it's even simpler: maintain a 3-second distance by counting 1001-1003 as the car ahead passes a fixed point. Remember, perspectives vary greatly between different car models, so you'll need to readjust when driving a new car.
