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Driving these days can quickly turn from pastime to stressful as cities and towns push the population count higher than the capacity of the roads. When sharing the road with other drivers it is hard not to give in to the temptation of following the vehicle in front of you too closely. Often called, "tailgating", the practice of following too closely won't get you where you are going any sooner, and the fact is you are much more likely to get in an accident when you don't leave yourself plenty of time to slow down if the driver in front of you suddenly hits the brakes. Worse yet, when you hit a car from behind it is nearly always deemed your fault, which can cost you time, money and aggravation, not to mention the risk of serious injury to you, your passengers and the person whose car you just slammed into.

 

If you are prone to follow the next car so closely that you can smell what deodorant the driver is wearing, it is time to back off to a safe following distance. Here are some guidelines to help you and everyone else on the road with you reach their destination safely.

 

Fair Weather Following:  The rule of thumb for following another vehicle on a nice day is commonly called the three second rule.  Essentially, you want to travel about three seconds behind the car in front of you. An easy way to set your distance is to choose a marker such as a road sign or another fixed object up ahead and start counting when the car in front of you passes your marker. Count one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi and you should now be passing the marker.  If you pass the marker before you get to your third Mississippi you are following too closely. Slow down a bit and repeat the process until you are all set. 

 

Once you have done this a few times you will get better at judging the correct distance without counting, but keep in mind, the faster you are driving the bigger the gap needs to be. At 35 mph you will cover about half a football field in three seconds. Double that to 70 mph and you will cover enough road to get you from end zone to end zone. Try counting at a few different speeds until you can gauge the right distance and then always follow the rule.

 

Foul Weather Following:  When the weather turns bad, the following distances should be increased. Just think about how much longer it takes you to stop on slippery roads. Fog, heavy rain and falling frozen stuff increase the safety gap as well. In light fog, snow and rain travel six seconds behind the next car. In thick fog, heavy rain or snow and ice covered roads make it 9-10 Mississippis. Just remember, you have to see the car in front of you slowing down soon enough for your brakes to stop the car.

 

Make Your Auto Repair Appointment Today!

Setting a safe following distance is a much less stressful way to travel, and makes your drive a much safer experience. Get in the habit of maintaining the distance and enjoy the ride. And when your ride is ready for quality new tires and auto repair, visit the Pueblo Tires & Service location in Texas near you!

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