I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
have a better rule?
Kevin
30
Mar
tailgating rule of thumb
In article <33g2dr$…@paperboy.gsfc.nasa.gov>, kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kevin Gregg) writes:
>I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
>applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
>have a better rule?
>Kevin
Another good one to use (people aren’t usually too good at
judging distances) is to keep two seconds between the other
car’s rear bumper and your front one. Just count pick some
marker on the road and be able to count "one-thousand-one,
one-thousand-two" between the time that the other car’s
rear bumper passes the marker and your front one does.
In article b…@paperboy.gsfc.nasa.gov, kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kevin Gregg) writes:
>I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
>applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
>have a better rule?
>Kevin
Well here they preach the two/three second rule.
That is when the car infront of you passes a stationary
marker. You should take two seconds to reach that marker
in city traffic or three to four seconds in Highway traffic.
It has something to do with human reaction time. Assuming
a car brakes in front of you, how long it takes you to register
the fact and take action assuming both cars (& drivers) have the same
braking ability.
I think those car lengths in your method would get a little difficult to
guage at the higher speeds.
Hope this helps,
Justine
From article <33g2dr$…@paperboy.gsfc.nasa.gov>, by kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kevin Gregg):
> I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
> applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
> have a better rule?
> Kevin
THIS IS NOT A CUT, IT IS AN OBSERVATION!!!
I am not in the mood to get flamed. If I were to give 6.5 car lengths on the
freeway, I would have to stop to keep that interval since everyone would be
moving into my lane ahead of me. I agree that you need an interval, but I
think it should be based on your car’s stopping ability, your reflexes, the
car behind you stopping ability (try to make that possessive?), and the car
in front of you stopping ability, amount of traffic, number of lanes, etc. I
just use my best judgement of the situation, and the speed of the driver in
front of me (if he’s going 40mph in a 65mph zone in the left lane, I’m almost
touching him, and there’s no one in front of him of course).
–
==============================
Jon Peccarelli
jonp…@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu
’91 Nissan Sentra SE-R
In article <33g2dr$…@paperboy.gsfc.nasa.gov>,
Kevin Gregg <kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote:
}I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
}applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
}have a better rule?
Rule in use on I-270– No more than 1 car length, regardless of speed.
–
Matthew T. Russotto russo…@eng.umd.edu russo…@his.com
In article <33go3pINN…@uwm.edu>, jonp…@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu (Jon Louis Peccarelli) writes:
> I am not in the mood to get flamed. If I were to give 6.5 car lengths on the
> freeway, I would have to stop to keep that interval since everyone would be
> moving into my lane ahead of me.
Not everyone, at least not the one described below.
> I agree that you need an interval, but I
> think it should be based on your car’s stopping ability, your reflexes, the
> car behind you stopping ability (try to make that possessive?), and the car
> in front of you stopping ability, amount of traffic, number of lanes, etc. I
> just use my best judgement of the situation, and the speed of the driver in
> front of me (if he’s going 40mph in a 65mph zone in the left lane, I’m almost
> touching him, and there’s no one in front of him of course.
Fair statement here. My dentist has a sign says:
You don’t have to floss everyone of your teeth, just the ones
you want to keep.
Same here, you don’t have to keep a certain distance. Just
pick a distance and pick a risk factor of rear end
and being cut off. Realizing or not.
In article <33g2dr$…@paperboy.gsfc.nasa.gov>,
kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kevin Gregg) writes:
>’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
>applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
>have a better rule?
>Kevin
In dry (good traction) conditions 2 seconds is the rule of thumb.
In rain (Moderate traction) 4 seconds makes me happy.
In Storms or Frozen precip (Poor Traction) 5-8 seconds is prefferred.
Sean Alexander
I was taught to follow 2 seconds behind. That’s a neat way to do it, since it
increases the following distance automatically with higher speed.
I think you are right, Jon, about judging the situation; all of these "rules"
are meant as a quick way to evaluate the distance based on average stopping
ability/reflexes/etc.
–Brian
In article <33g2dr$…@paperboy.gsfc.nasa.gov>,
Kevin Gregg <kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote:
>I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
>applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
>have a better rule?
The rule of thumb is the "2-second Rule." That is, you should be
able to count two seconds (one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two)
between the time the car in front of you crosses/passes a fixed
landmark and you cross/pass the same landmark. Cracks/seams in
the road usually work best.
Running the calculations, the 2-second rule will allow you enough
space to stop without hitting the car in front of you, assuming
ideal reaction times (ie, zero reaction time). It’s actually
only a gap which will allow you reaction time, though.
James
James P. Callison Microcomputer Coordinator, U of Oklahoma Law Center
Calli…@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu /\ Calli…@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
DISCLAIMER: I’m not an engineer, but I play one at work…
The forecast calls for Thunder…’89 T-Bird SC
In Germany they use the following rules-of-thumb:
minimum safe distance: a distance (in metres) one half of the speed (in
kilometres). This is on a dry road of course.
When you get caught driving at less of one half of this minimum safe distance
a heavy fine is due. And you get some demerit points in Flensburg.
Marcus Bonse email: m.h.w.bo…@wbmt.tudelft.nl
Delft University of Technology
Lab. for Micro Engineering
Marcus Bonse (m.h.w.bo…@wbmt.tudelft.nl) wrote:
: In Germany they use the following rules-of-thumb:
:
: minimum safe distance: a distance (in metres) one half of the speed (in
: kilometres). This is on a dry road of course.
:
: When you get caught driving at less of one half of this minimum safe distance
: a heavy fine is due. And you get some demerit points in Flensburg.
That’s just a complicated way of stating the "2 second rule";
in this case, it’s actually a "1.8 second rule" — but that’s
close enough for government work.
regards,
Mark
kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kevin Gregg) writes:
>I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
>applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
>have a better rule?
>Kevin
A much more usable rule is in vogue today. For several years, I have
read here and there that you should be two seconds driving time behind
the other car. However, the State of California now recommends three
seconds, which is a bit more conservative.
Here is what it means. You start counting off seconds when the car
ahead of you passes some identifiable object, a sign, a tree, a crack
in the road, whatever. You stop counting when your car passes the
same object. If it is less than three seconds, you are too close. If
it is less than two seconds, you are too DAMN close.
—
Herb Kanner
Apple Computer, Inc.
kan…@apple.com
PGP fingerprint: 83 3C 8D D0 83 0D B9 C1 6C A3 30 BD 0B 5A DB 71
hi..
Herbert Kanner (kan…@apple.com) wrote:
: kevin_gr…@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kevin Gregg) writes:
: >I’ve heard the rule "one car length for every 10 MPH"
: >applied to calculate the gap to keep between cars. Anyone
: >have a better rule?
: >Kevin
: A much more usable rule is in vogue today. For several years, I have
: read here and there that you should be two seconds driving time behind
: the other car. However, the State of California now recommends three
: seconds, which is a bit more conservative.
: Here is what it means. You start counting off seconds when the car
: ahead of you passes some identifiable object, a sign, a tree, a crack
: in the road, whatever. You stop counting when your car passes the
: same object. If it is less than three seconds, you are too close. If
: it is less than two seconds, you are too DAMN close.
: —
: Herb Kanner
: Apple Computer, Inc.
: kan…@apple.com
: PGP fingerprint: 83 3C 8D D0 83 0D B9 C1 6C A3 30 BD 0B 5A DB 71
Hmmm… I use the inch principle – 1 Inch – Too close – 2 Inches, Ok!
Internet Email Addresses:
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bl…@empire.apana.org.au