There are many people who do not maintain a proper following distance. They tailgate consistently. Every time they drive, they are just one or two seconds behind the car ahead of them.
Tailgating is often associated with aggression, road rage or recklessness. But in a case like this, it may be due more to someone not understanding what a proper following distance looks like to begin with. This person may not even think that they are driving dangerously or recklessly. But if they think they are being safe, why is that assumption so wrong?
Drivers can’t hit the brakes immediately
The problem comes when you look at the amount of time and distance a driver really needs to stop. Someone who is just a second or two behind the next car probably assumes they can stop immediately if they need to, but studies have found that isn’t how it works.
Instead, the driver has to see the brake lights come on or see the car ahead of them slow down, alerting them to the need to brake. Simply making this mental observation can take roughly three-quarters of a second.
Even after the driver perceives the change in traffic and realizes they need to slow down, they still have to take their foot off of the gas pedal and put it on the brake pedal. They then have to push the pedal down to start engaging the brakes. All of this sounds very basic and fast, but safety officials say that it takes another three-quarters of a second.
At the end of the day, this means there is a 1.5-second delay in braking, so a driver who doesn’t have a big enough following distance is highly likely to cause a rear-end accident. Those who have suffered injuries in these types of crashes need to know how to seek appropriate financial compensation.
