How to Judge the Distance to the Car in Front for Beginners?
2 Answers
Methods to judge the distance between vehicles are as follows: 1. When the lower edge of the rear wheel of the car in front 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. 4. When the image 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.
When I first started driving, I was always worried about misjudging the distance between cars. Beginners tend to get nervous. A simple method is to look at the ground—if you can see the entire tire of the car in front, you're too close; normally, the bottom of the tire should just start to blur or part of the wheel should be out of sight. Another good technique is the time rule: on the highway, pick a landmark, and when the car ahead passes it, count three seconds before you pass the same point—that’s a safe distance. In the city, since speeds are slower, you can reduce it to two seconds. I also used a method a friend taught me: sit in the driver’s seat and observe the position of the car ahead in the rearview mirror. If it appears to be getting larger, you’re getting closer, so ease off the accelerator. Remember, safety is more important than speed, especially in low-visibility conditions like rain or fog—double the space. During practice, find a safe stretch of road, set markers to estimate distances, and gradually develop intuition. These methods helped me avoid accidents, and now I drive with much more confidence.
