How much of an oversetimate are they for a modern fully loaded HGV, or even fully loaded white van? Or even a mdern car in icy conditions or even in the wet?
I think you need to justify buttertion that with the relevant calculations.
As I said, in that case you are stuffed. But if it happens in front of the car you are following, you will be able to stop comfortably without piling into it. And with a bit of luck, the cars behind will stop without piling into you. If your gap is only 2 seconds, (or less as seems inreasingly popular) you will hit the car in front, and anyone behind you at the same distance will hit you, and so ad infinitum.
Would you bet on it? Have you done the calculations? 2 seconds gives you one second for thinking time and then perhaps a maximun loss of speed of 20mph in the other second under panic braking. If you were doing 80mph to start with, you will still be doing 60mph, and that is the speed at which you woild pile into an onject that sops instantly. Even if if doesnt stop instantly, how do you know that you braking effort will be sufficient to avoid it. You can probably stop a modern car from 80mph in 4 seconds, say 5 seconds with thinking time, if it is well maintained and has good brakes and tyres.
At two seconds distance, a single seconds of inattention, perhaps your pbuttenger speaks to you or you change channels on the radio (and that is nothing compared to the things I hace seen some driver doing at high speed on the motorway) will makrt it impossible to avoid a collision if the car in front panic brakes.
Certainly good advice, but not always pratical. Many of our motorways are inadequate for the volume of traffic they carry, due to government failings, This means that there is probably nowhere to go, and in road works and contraflows one is particularly challenged.
I don't disagree. But nearly everybody follows too closely on congested motorways, And a few try to exceed the speed of the flow of the fastest traffic, which in congested situations is downright dangerous. I don't know why I should feed their arrogance. Perhaps they think they are clever, or that driving a hig powered or expensive car gives them speciasl privileges. Personally I dislike bullies and don't give in to them, I has enough of them ay school.
Exactly!
-- Created on the Iyonix PC - the world's fastest RISC OS computer.
