What is the safe following distance on highways?
2 Answers
When the speed exceeds 100 kilometers per hour, you should maintain a distance of more than 100 meters from the vehicle in front in the same lane. When the speed is below 100 kilometers per hour, the distance from the vehicle in front can be appropriately shortened, but the minimum distance should not be less than 50 meters. Here are some precautions regarding following distance: Avoid following vehicles that block your view: Try not to follow vehicles that obstruct your line of sight. If you are behind a large vehicle, a significant area ahead is blocked, making it difficult to know if there are vehicles in the blind spot. If an accident occurs in the blind spot, you will have very little time to react. Use intermittent braking to alert the vehicle behind: When braking on the highway, always use intermittent braking to alert the following vehicle. Some drivers may become fatigued during high-speed following and might mistake the braking ahead for width indicator lights or other lights. Using intermittent braking causes the high-mounted brake light to flash, making it more noticeable and easier for the following vehicle to detect promptly.
The other day while driving on the highway, I was thinking about the issue of following distance. Actually, the core of maintaining distance is to leave yourself enough reaction time. Generally, when driving at 100 kilometers per hour, keeping about 50 meters is quite safe. I prefer a simple method: watch the car ahead pass a road marker, then start counting seconds. If my car reaches that point 2 seconds later, it means the distance is sufficient. In heavy rain or fog, I extend it to over 4 seconds to avoid rear-ending if the car ahead suddenly brakes. This is about safety—don’t push your luck by following too closely, or you might end up paying for repairs and wasting time. Speeds change quickly on highways, especially during weekend rush hours with heavy traffic. It’s better to leave extra space and not cause congestion than to risk a major accident. Remember, safe driving isn’t about racing speed—it’s about racing wisdom.
