Keeping a bubble of safety around your new (or old) car

Here a few tips to keep you safe before and after you pass.

When travelling in traffic & you need to stop, try to maintain a gap of around 1.5 meters to the vehicle in front. Measure this easily by checking that you can just see the tyres of the vehicle ahead touching the tarmac (road). Why why why - try the car in front breaks down & if you are too close, how would you steer around? It could also roll back - who hasn't done that? If an emergency vehicle wants to come between traffic, it will be easier to go left or right if you leave a gap - could save a life or ....

In dry weather use the 2 second rule; by watching the vehicle ahead pass a stationary object (tree, sign, bridge) and then saying "Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule". If you get to the stationary object before you finish that phrase, then you are following too close. It takes 2 second to say that and if the road condition is poor e.g. wet or loose surface then double that time i.e. say it twice.



Let's say you overtake a slower vehicle on a dual carriageway, how soon should you pull over in front of it? Well you really want to leave a 2 second gap again; but how to measure that? The easiest way is to carry on until you see BOTH headlight come into you internal mirror - works every time.


Drive safely and take care especially just after you pass.