How to Judge the Distance Between Cars When Driving at Night
2 Answers
When driving at night, you can judge the distance between cars by determining the position of the vehicle, the distance to the car in front, and the distance to the car behind. Here is a detailed introduction on how to judge the position of the vehicle at night: 1. Determining the vehicle position: (1) Use the rearview mirror to judge the position of the roadside in the windshield. (2) Use the relative position of the right wheel to the ground to determine the position of the right wheel and the vehicle. 2. Judging the distance to the car in front: (1) Observe the relative position between the windshield and the bumper of the car in front to judge the distance: When the upper edge of the front car's bumper is seen from the lower edge of the windshield, the distance between the two cars is about one meter. When the lower edge of the front car's bumper is seen from the lower edge of the windshield, the distance is about two meters. When the lower edge of the front car's rear tire is seen from the lower edge of the windshield, the distance is about three meters. (2) Observe the position of the ground in the left rearview mirror: The horizontal line relative to the ground displayed at the lower edge of the left rearview mirror indicates the position of the front of the car. 3. Judging the distance to the car behind: (1) Observe the proportion of the car's shadow in the rearview mirror to judge the distance: When the shadow of the car behind occupies the entire rearview mirror, the distance is about 3 meters; when it occupies two-thirds of the rearview mirror, the distance is about 5 meters; when it occupies half of the rearview mirror, the distance is about 9 meters; when it occupies one-third of the rearview mirror, the distance is about 12 meters. (2) Use the interior rearview mirror to look through the lower edge of the rear window windshield to judge the distance to the car behind: If the upper edge of the rear car's headlights is visible, the distance from the rear trunk to the car behind is about three and a half meters; if the junction between the rear car's hood and the front windshield is visible, the distance is about one meter; if the horizontal one-third of the rear car's front windshield is visible, the two cars are extremely close.
When judging the distance between vehicles at night, I usually rely on the taillights of the car ahead as the main reference. At close range, the taillights appear larger and brighter. I maintain a steady speed and avoid speeding to reduce the risk of misjudgment. Experience tells me that when the spacing between lights shortens or the shadow of the car becomes clearer, it indicates the distance is closing, and I can adjust the timing of braking. If the road conditions are unfamiliar, I glance at fixed objects by the roadside, such as streetlights or bridge piers, to compare the position of the car ahead and confirm the approximate distance. Don’t forget that night vision declines, and fatigue can impair judgment, so I pull over every hour to rest for a few minutes and drink water to stay alert. Overall safety is the priority—if I feel uncertain, I slow down or switch to a brighter section of the road. Developing good habits helps avoid rear-end collisions.
