Driver Training

Following a Vehicle Ahead

Keep a 4 Seconds Time Gap

When travelling behind another vehicle at 40mph or above, try to keep a ‘football pitch’ of space or at least four seconds of following time. One way to measure the space you are keeping is to first guess how many seconds you think you are behind the vehicle in front. Then select a stationary marker ahead. When the vehicle ahead passes the marker, begin to count by saying 1001, 1002, 1003 and1004 until the front of your car reaches that marker.

If you find you don’t have at least four seconds of following space/time keep on doing it until you do have at least a four second gap. 

Resistance Within

Once you develop the 4-second habit, you will see how beneficial it is both to you and to other road users. At first it will probably feel very strange.

But you will soon feel perfectly comfortable with that amount of space.

However, if you don’t have the space habit yet and your normal following distance is a lot less, then the more resistance from within you are likely to experience.

You will probably have a little doubting voice within you saying things like…

“Four seconds thats silly...You can’t keep four seconds; everybody will always be cutting in ahead of you; you’ll never get there; it will feel like you’re going backwards; the driver behind will be annoyed with you and will be crawling all over your back bumper...”

These feelings are quite normal and natural they come from the discomfort in doing something that you are not accustomed to. It is not unusual for us to have feelings like this when we are out of our comfort zone.

The fact is, over the years...

We have become comfortable...

with driving too close…

It has become the norm to us...

Our sense of danger in doing it has been dulled...

If you fight the doubting feeling within, it is possible to gain a new feeling, that is, feeling good with a 4-second following distance, you can have a stress free feeling.

You will from time to time have the same feelings that your old ‘Inner Voice’ was giving you.           

However, this time when you start to get closer than 4 seconds of space, you will feel that you are getting into an area of danger .

So why settle for less than the best in your following time and space habit…

                                                       After all, as they say in that advert… you’re worth it!

 Benefits of 4 Seconds

  It gives you time to become aware when your separation distance begins to close at a more rapid rate.

• It allows you to see and search beyond the vehicle in front.

• It removes the control that the vehicle ahead has over you.

• It minimises if not eliminates surprises from the actions of  drivers ahead.

• It allows safer and more efficient lane changes    

• It facilitates safer and easier left and right turns

• It allows you to eliminate unnecessary stops

• It removes stress, caused when you are caught out by...

 sudden or unexpected actions of the drivers of vehicles ahead or when encountering slower moving vehicles ahead

        It makes you more conscious of the disadvantages of keeping a lesser amount of space.

                                  The ONLY real difficulty in keeping four seconds of Space

                                             will be your own ability to discard an old habit.     

  THINK MUCH MORE – DO MUCH LESS