The safety distance rule is an underrated one. In truth, it's a somewhat vague rule in our Highway Code. "While driving, vehicles must maintain a safety distance from the preceding vehicle such that timely stopping is guaranteed in all cases and collisions with preceding vehicles are avoided." This is how Article 149 of the Highway Code defines it, with a definition that leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation. The result: on our roads, cars often travel much closer than safety rules would advise. And if fines are issued, it's only after an accident has occurred.
One system for calculating the correct distance is to divide the speed of travel in km/h by 10 and square the result. Example: we are in the city, traveling at a maximum speed of 50 km/h. We divide the speed by 10 to get 5; we square it: 25. We must stay at least 25 meters from the car in front of us. If the calculation is complex, Anglo-Saxon pragmatism comes to our rescue. In those countries, traffic police suggest the three-second rule. While driving, we count 3 seconds in our head from the moment the vehicle in front of us passes a fixed reference point: a tree, a sign, a wall. If we reach the same reference point at the end of 3 seconds, we are at the correct distance; if we arrive earlier, we are too close.
In France, the assessment is even simpler. Just pay attention to the white stripe that separates the carriageway from the emergency lane: it's a broken white line, dashed in such a way as to serve as a reference. The distance is correct if there are at least two white bands between our car and the one in front of us.
In Germany, the Highway Code provides a precise indication: the distance from the vehicle in front must be – in meters – half the speed of travel. Are we traveling at 120 km/h? The minimum safety distance must be 60 meters. To keep it under control, one must refer to the reflective panels placed along the side of the road, 50 meters apart.
In these two countries, no excuses: failure to observe the safety distance is detected – and severely penalized – even if it does not cause any accident.
An underestimated rule? Hopefully not for much longer. Respecting it is really important, it can save lives.
