Following distance in the wet
Discussion
The Highway Code says that you should "at least double" your following distance when the road is wet. Do people here use a 4 or even 6 second gap in the wet? I've tried it and it seems quite a lot and I usually stick to the 2 or 3 seconds I use in the dry. In some instances I think it encourages people to pull out in front of you or to get irate when they are following you.
I leave about 4 - 6 seconds gap in the wet (and about 2 - 3 in the dry), but this is because the car I drive (Micra 1.0 litre) has poor brakes and not a lot of grip. This way I can pull up quite comfortably, and even if I am distracted and don't see brake lights ahead, I can still stop.
If there's one thing I'm careful about when driving, it's maintaining a good stopping distance.
If there's one thing I'm careful about when driving, it's maintaining a good stopping distance.
The problem lies on the motorway where if you leave a suitable gap someone will pull into that gap leaving you with a unsuitable gap.
Unless you want to drive at 56mph in the inside lane with the HGVs the only way to avoid that situation on a vaguely busy motorway is to compromise slightly and drive at a distance that deters other drivings from pulling into your safety zone. That's a bit arse about face, but I consider a smaller gap to be safer than a large gap in those situations.
On single carriageways the larger gap the better, not just for stopping distances but for less spray too.
Unless you want to drive at 56mph in the inside lane with the HGVs the only way to avoid that situation on a vaguely busy motorway is to compromise slightly and drive at a distance that deters other drivings from pulling into your safety zone. That's a bit arse about face, but I consider a smaller gap to be safer than a large gap in those situations.
On single carriageways the larger gap the better, not just for stopping distances but for less spray too.
7db said:
RT106 said:
The problem lies on the motorway where if you leave a suitable gap someone will pull into that gap leaving you with a unsuitable gap.
So you drop off a bit until you have a suitable gap again.I remember driving down a busy A1, with most of the lane 1 traffic being lorries, and the lane 2 traffic doing a steady 70, and the driver behind me got irate because I left a 2 second gap (in the dry). He dived inside and undertook me when there was a short gap in lane 1 and I dropped back to maintain my 2 second gap and followed him at 70 for the next 20 miles till my turn off. Well done, mate, you beat me to my junction by a car length over 20 miles 
parapaul said:
7db said:
RT106 said:
The problem lies on the motorway where if you leave a suitable gap someone will pull into that gap leaving you with a unsuitable gap.
So you drop off a bit until you have a suitable gap again.It might feel like you are going backwards, but you'll arrive at your junction about 6 seconds after the car that was previously in front.
7db said:
Why reduce your speed? You need only drop back, keeping the same speed in the new position. It might feel like you are going backwards, but you'll arrive at your junction about 6 seconds after the car that was previously in front.
Yes, but then someone else pulls in front and you drop back again, and then again...Yesterday evening I did ~160 miles on a very wet M5 and didn't once have to adopt a less than ideal following distance. Great, nice and safe and still a decent journey time. I used to commute more-or-less the same route every day and the same just is not true in heavy traffic. Ok, I like to make progress and don't consider a totally cautious approach to be an option, but the dropping-back option is not as straight-forward an approach as you make out.
7db said:
parapaul said:
7db said:
RT106 said:
The problem lies on the motorway where if you leave a suitable gap someone will pull into that gap leaving you with a unsuitable gap.
So you drop off a bit until you have a suitable gap again.It might feel like you are going backwards, but you'll arrive at your junction about 6 seconds after the car that was previously in front.
The actual time lost is nothing compared to what you feel it to be.
I think we need to try to remember that, and be a bit more laid back about such situations.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
RT106 said:
7db said:
Why reduce your speed? You need only drop back, keeping the same speed in the new position. It might feel like you are going backwards, but you'll arrive at your junction about 6 seconds after the car that was previously in front.
Yes, but then someone else pulls in front and you drop back again, and then again...Yesterday evening I did ~160 miles on a very wet M5 and didn't once have to adopt a less than ideal following distance. Great, nice and safe and still a decent journey time. I used to commute more-or-less the same route every day and the same just is not true in heavy traffic. Ok, I like to make progress and don't consider a totally cautious approach to be an option, but the dropping-back option is not as straight-forward an approach as you make out.
I look for progress where possible and chill out where it's not.
Yes, the gap I leave is continuously varying depending on the grip available. This is dependent on wet/dry, hot/cold, how clean the road is and other factors. One of my cars has ABS and the other doesn't, so this changes things too (especially on bends or in tricky situations).
I normally leave a bit more room than advised to allow for extra thinking time in case a straight emergency stop isn't the best course of action. I've used this gap twice in the past to avoid getting rear ended by the car behind.
I normally leave a bit more room than advised to allow for extra thinking time in case a straight emergency stop isn't the best course of action. I've used this gap twice in the past to avoid getting rear ended by the car behind.
I find that if I relax a bit and try to avoid the herd of sheep culture that a lot of people practice helps a lot. If and when the time is right I can clear the pack and get on my merry way. If I'm following a car and I've got a tailgater behind I'll back off a bit as they latch on to my rear end, so I've got an extra safety margin, I've heard the phrase "leading them in" to hazards used before, and this is a nice phrase, as you're controlling the biggest hazard, which is the numpty behind, by bringing their speed down and also taking care of what's in front at your own pace.
If you're worried about leaving too much distance when you have a 4 second gap in the wet, imagine that the car in front spins, and stops dead in the road, or even starts coming straight back at you. 4 seconds doesn't seem so much then, and in my mind is a bare minimum. Having once had a car spin out beside me on the motorway while overtaking me, hit the crash barrier, and then fire itself across the front of my car, this taught me that other cars might not need normal braking distance, they might stop travelling forwards suddenly and I have to avoid them somehow.
If you're worried about leaving too much distance when you have a 4 second gap in the wet, imagine that the car in front spins, and stops dead in the road, or even starts coming straight back at you. 4 seconds doesn't seem so much then, and in my mind is a bare minimum. Having once had a car spin out beside me on the motorway while overtaking me, hit the crash barrier, and then fire itself across the front of my car, this taught me that other cars might not need normal braking distance, they might stop travelling forwards suddenly and I have to avoid them somehow.
I tend to leave a 4-5 seconds gap, it gives me time and space to ease off the brake and let the clot who's right up my a**se realise what's happening when the traffic comes to a stop.
With this sort of gap, you also find overtaking much much easier as you can see without having to move out.
With this sort of gap, you also find overtaking much much easier as you can see without having to move out.
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