Following distance — Virginia Permit Test
Following distance on the Virginia permit test — 6 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Under 35 miles an hour, leave at least two seconds between you and the vehicle ahead on a dry road.
Two seconds is roughly the time it takes to notice a problem and get your foot across.
2 seconds Under 35 MPH
Between 35 and 45 miles an hour, leave at least three seconds between you and the vehicle ahead.
The car covers more ground each second, so the same gap in seconds is a longer gap in feet.
3 seconds 35-45 MPH
Between 46 and 70 miles an hour, leave at least four seconds between you and the vehicle ahead.
Above that speed the rule stops working at all, which is its own warning.
4 seconds 46-70 MPH
To check your following distance, watch the vehicle ahead pass a fixed object and count the seconds until you reach the same spot.
A count in seconds works at any speed, which a count in car lengths does not.
Glance at the vehicle ahead as it passes a fixed object, such as an overpass, sign, fence, corner or other fixed mark. Begin counting the seconds it takes you to reach the same place in the road.
Increase your following distance behind a large vehicle that blocks your view, in bad weather or heavy traffic, when exiting an expressway, behind a motorcycle or bicycle, and when being tailgated.
You cannot see past a truck, so the extra room is your only warning of what it is about to do.
Increase your following distance when driving: behind a large vehicle that blocks your vision
If someone is tailgating you, do not brake suddenly: move over if you can, or gently tap your brakes to flash your lights and slow down.
Braking hard at somebody already too close leaves them no room at all.
If you find yourself in this situation, do not brake suddenly. If possible, move over to another lane, or gently tap your brakes to flash your brake lights and slow down.
On the test
How many seconds should you leave when driving under 35 miles an hour?
Two seconds. Two seconds is roughly the time it takes to notice a problem and get your foot across. Virginia Driver's Manual, p.19: “2 seconds Under 35 MPH”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Virginia Driver's Manual, published by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.