Following distance — Colorado Permit Test

Following the vehicle in front too closely limits your vision of the road and does not allow enough time to react and avoid a crash.

The car ahead is also a wall you cannot see past. Sitting close to it costs you both the time and the view.

Following the vehicle in front of you too closely limits your vision of the road and does not allow you enough time to react to avoid a crash.

Under normal conditions use the three-second rule: watch the vehicle ahead pass a reference point, then count one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three, and if you pass the point before you finish you are following too closely.

It works at any speed without doing arithmetic, because the gap it measures grows with how fast you are going.

Under normal conditions, use the three-second rule to gauge how much space you should leave between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you

A reference point for the three-second rule can be a mile marker, a sign or a telephone pole.

It has to be something fixed beside the road that both cars pass, so what you are timing is the gap and not your own speed.

when it passes a reference point (such as a mile marker, sign or telephone pole) then count “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three

Weather, road conditions, the amount of traffic and the time of day all matter to following distance, because the stopping distance required is greatly increased.

Three seconds is the figure for a good day. Everything that makes stopping harder makes the number you need bigger.

It is also important to consider weather, road conditions, the amount of traffic and time of day, because the stopping distance required is greatly increased

Follow posted speed limits and keep pace with traffic in a reasonable and cautious manner, because traveling much faster results in frequent passing and increases the chance of a crash.

Every pass is a fresh chance for something to go wrong. Driving well above the traffic means making a lot of them.

Traveling much faster results in frequent passing, increasing the opportunity for a crash

Driving considerably slower than other vehicles increases unpredictability and compromises safety by causing back-ups and more passing situations.

Traffic works when everybody moves at about the same speed. Being the slow one creates the same passing risk as being the fast one.

Driving considerably slower than other vehicles can also increase unpredictability and compromise safety by causing back-ups and more passing situations

What does following too closely cost you?

Your view of the road and your reaction time. The car ahead is also a wall you cannot see past. Sitting close to it costs you both the time and the view. Colorado Driver Handbook, p.18: “Following the vehicle in front of you too closely limits your vision of the road and does not allow you enough time to react to avoid a crash.”