Comment on How much spacing while stopped at a red light?
i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
I was taught this in driving school. If you’re the last car slowing down, leave a gap of a few car lengths so if a car behind you is going to hit you, it gives you some room to escape either to move up, or enough room to turn out of the lane.
That sounds like some kind of superhero fantasy to me. In what scenario am I about to be rear ended and have enough time to move my car safely?
I usually leave enough space that I could turn into another lane without having to reverse, so if the car in front of me stalls I can go around without too much fuss. That’s like half a car length at best.
Mothra@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
I agree it’s highly unlikely. However, I’ve been rear-ended once, and my car got pushed forward the space of at least another car and a half, in spite of my panicked reflex of pressing the brakes as it happened. I didn’t crash into anything because I was first on the lane, I got pushed into the intersection.
So yes, you can get rear-ended and the gap in front of you will save you in money and insurance claims bs time if you don’t hit anyone in front as well as a result. It will make little difference regarding your ability to switch lanes though.
In saying that, I don’t leave this massive space in front of me. I stick to the “see the next car’s tyres” rule and if traffic is really packed (as during rush hour, when everyone crawls start stop) I sometimes reduce it to curb parking distance.