Two car lengths on the highway is not enough car lengths to make a meaningful difference in the event of a crash or giving you time to react to an emergency situation up ahead.
That being said, I respect that you leave any car lengths at all and it’s probably better than nothing. Especially since other drivers see any more than that as a challenge to enter that gap. Which is dangerous as shit and they are wrong but won’t learn even after they wreck doing it.
This was my first thought. When I learned how to drive, the rule was one car length per 10 mph. So at highway speeds of 70, that would be 7 car lengths of space to ensure enough distance to safely stop or avoid a collision. I see approximately 0% of people following this rule nowadays, and while I try to maintain it myself, it often results in a stream of vehicles merging in front of me and messing up my distance. Fun times.
In the USA, the lines on a highway are 10 ft long, the spaces between them are 30 ft.
So, a line and a space are about two car lengths. It’s a handy way to judge how close you are to the car ahead. At highway speeds, you want 3-4 lines between you.
Two car lengths on the highway is not enough car lengths to make a meaningful difference in the event of a crash or giving you time to react to an emergency situation up ahead.
That being said, I respect that you leave any car lengths at all and it’s probably better than nothing. Especially since other drivers see any more than that as a challenge to enter that gap. Which is dangerous as shit and they are wrong but won’t learn even after they wreck doing it.
This was my first thought. When I learned how to drive, the rule was one car length per 10 mph. So at highway speeds of 70, that would be 7 car lengths of space to ensure enough distance to safely stop or avoid a collision. I see approximately 0% of people following this rule nowadays, and while I try to maintain it myself, it often results in a stream of vehicles merging in front of me and messing up my distance. Fun times.
Handy tip:
In the USA, the lines on a highway are 10 ft long, the spaces between them are 30 ft.
So, a line and a space are about two car lengths. It’s a handy way to judge how close you are to the car ahead. At highway speeds, you want 3-4 lines between you.
This is the way