Following too closely to the vehicle in front of you is a habit many drivers acquire over the years. How do you know if you've developed this habit? Perhaps you've had a couple of close calls when you've had to slam on the brakes or swerve to avoid rear-ending the person in front of you. Another sign is passengers who try to hold on or use their own imaginary brakes on their side of the car. If this sounds like your experience, follow these tips to become a safer driver.
- Allow one car length between you and the vehicle in front of you for every 10 miles per hour of speed. So, if you're traveling along at 40 mph, allow four car lengths between you and the person in front of you.
- Another rule of thumb is the three second rule. Start counting when the person in front of you passes a fixed point such as a sign or tree. If you pass the point before three seconds passes, you need to back off a bit.
- When stopping at a light, make sure you can see the rear wheels of the vehicle in front of you. That ensures you're not so close that you may rear-end the vehicle in front of you if they don't accelerate as quickly as you'd expect.
- Try to imagine that you have someone in the car with you rating your driving. It may help you pay closer attention to the distance between you and the car in front of you.
- If your car has a feature that tells you your miles/gallon, see if you can make the number go up by accelerating and braking more gradually. These habits will automatically give you some breathing room between you and other vehicles, as well as save you money.
Following too closely to the car in front of you is a bad habit, but one that you can break. Simply retrain yourself by following some of these tips and you'll soon find yourself a safer driver out on the road.
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