[schitre05]

In Dubai while taking driving lessons the instructors suggest to keep so much distance so that one can see the the rear wheels of the car in the front.

In Mumbai in heavy traffic at night I use the beams of my headlight to guide me to come as close to the vehicle in the front. As one gets near to the vehicle in front, the beams tend to straighten up in line with your headlight. In other words its bumper to bumper nearly no gap .

[CBlazer]

Originally Posted by schitre05

In Dubai while taking driving lessons the instructors suggest to keep so much distance so that one can see the the rear wheels of the car in the front.

True. I was told this in the US too and followed it sincerely. But it rarely worked for me in India/Bangalore probably because real estate is a much sought after thing here. In Bangalore I always try to keep a safe distance for the given situation - a fixed number like 3, 4 feet doesn't always work. Of late I've found two wheelers trying to squeeze in even if the gaps seem remotely promising resulting in scratches on the car bumpers.

But I hate to close in on the gaps just to prevent two wheelers because you end up getting too close to the guy ahead. It can be totally scary or very frustrating depending on what the guy ahead decides to do.

[cLJ]

I always follow the 2 second rules. Human brain usually need 2 seconds to react and it increases with age, therefore it is always good to follow the rules. I learnt the rule while attending a defensive driving techniques (a vehicle travel 16.5 meters in a second while travelling at 60kmph, so one can calculate the safe distance required).

Have a safe drive!

[jalex77]

Originally Posted by cLJ

I always follow the 2 second rules. Human brain usually need 2 seconds to react and it increases with age, therefore it is always good to follow the rules. I learnt the rule while attending a defensive driving techniques (a vehicle travel 16.5 meters in a second while travelling at 60kmph, so one can calculate the safe distance required).

Have a safe drive!

Well this is about slow moving or crawling traffic and I dont think the two second rule is applicable here.

I myself keep the distance according to the scenario. If its in Cochin and you try to keep 5 feet distance, The city buses will bully you like hell and make you to stick on to the rear bumper of the vehicle in front.

Almost everywhere in Kerala. you leave 4-5 feet and there will be many "Jump the liners" who will be glad to squeeze in, sometimes leaving a scratch on your front bumper in the process. So what I do mostly is to keep space just enough to brake comfortably without creating an incident for myself or anyone else.

[selfdrive]

I try to keep away enough from passenger cars so that I can see the bumper clearly. For bigger vehicles like trucks I keep further away. And finally for PMT buses, I try my best not to stop either behind or around them. A few years ago, at a signal (no slope) a PMT bus reversed right into my colleagues new Swift (a good 6 feet away)
I dont mind 2 wheelers weaving in and out in stationary traffic, better to leave enough gap for them. If there is not enough gap, the bugger will try anyway and end up stuck at right angles between both vehicles, causing a longer delay.

[markmytravel]

I try to maintain a distance of atleast a meter. I find the roads here is BLR not so flat and asap you step away from the break, the car moves a foot suddenly even on neutral. Have noticed it sometimes on signals when I accidently moved my step and this way had enough time to correct the mistake. It also helps to give those freak bike riders a little more space who want to use the gap between the cars to change lanes..

[nfsfreak]

A good 4-5 feet normally. In heavy traffic, it would be less than what two wheelers required to use as an escape space

[chandrda]

I don't bother about the distance anymore except if its a heavy truck or a bus in front.

The logic of maintaining distance is becoming illogical in Bangalore with two wheelers, auto rickshaws, volvo buses, BPO cabs, IT professionals on conference while driving and even Learners trying to squeeze you out of the road.

I keep to extreme left or right of the road, so that I can make a quick decision if I have to take a turn and escape the traffic.

Regards

[libranof1987]

On a straight road, I try to keep 2 feet with the car in front as buffer in case of sudden braking; at the left/right, I try to keep >1 feet. At the rear, I can't control!

On an incline (and in malls), I try to maintain ~5 feet.

While in motion, the distance however depends on how fast the vehicle in front accelerates/brakes!

[download2live]

My ideal distance is number plate distance. The number plate of the vehicle should be visible to me. Anything less and I panic.

[mtnrajdeep]

The distance I maintain is also dependent on the speed at which the traffic moves. It also increases if I see that the vehicle behind me is too close for comfort. Usually, I make sure that there is atleast 4-5 ft when the speed is 20 kmph +. I started this technique after I was rear ended by an indica when I had the SX4 in Bangalore.

I haven't measured it till now! However, I usually stop my Linea at the spot where I could clearly see the rear registration number plate of the car ahead of me. But, I maintain more distance away from buses, HTV, LCV, autorickshaws and 3-wheeler luggage carriers.

[prashanthyr]

Originally Posted by gthang

A long time ago, someone who attended a defensive driving course in the US told me of a rule of thumb to follow while stopped in traffic: Always stop far enough to be able to see the rear tyres of the vehicle ahead of you.

Dont know or remember the logic behind it, but its something that's stuck to my head, and have been following since. Not always possible in heavy traffic, but I try.

Yep, my UK driving instructor too insisted on this rule and brainwashed me into following it. His terminology for this was T&T - Tires and Tarmac - essentially you should be able to see the rear tires and a bit of tarmac behind the rear tires of the car ahead of you.

The logic he used was that this gives you sufficient room to [FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']maneuver if the car ahead of you stalls for some reason. [/FONT]

[Kairalee]

In Bangalore, I am yet to see someone leave 5 feet space between them and the vehicle in front. You would just not be able to move an inch forward if you do that, especially during rush hour (which is almost all day here in Bangalore).

Anything more than 2 feet in slow moving traffic here and you will either have autorickshaws and two wheelers squeezing into that space or/and you will have ample amount of scratches on your front bumper.

The 'Tires and Tarmac' principle will work like a charm only where there are civilised road users.

[floyd]

Some have mentioned keeping enough space to be able to see the rear tires of the car ahead of you. The logic here is that in case the car stalls, you can still maneuver around it.