On the road, it is essential to respect safety distances to avoid accidents. And for this, the two-second rule is as simple as it is effective.
On the roads, it is not uncommon to see vehicles too close to each other. A bad habit that can lead to serious accidents, with rear-end collisions due to a lack of reactivity. To avoid these dangerous situations, there is a simple but effective rule: the two-second rule.
When you’re driving, it’s crucial to maintain a sufficient distance between your car and the one in front of you. This distance, called safety distance, is essential to have time to react if the vehicle in front of you brakes suddenly, for example. Indeed, you have to take into account your reaction time before your brain detects a change. On average, it’s about one second. During this time, the vehicle continues to move forward at the same speed before you start to brake. And you have to add the braking time.
On the motorway, it is quite easy to maintain a safe distance using the road markings as a guide. Maintaining a gap of at least two lines from the emergency lane equates to a distance of about 90 metres, which is sufficient to drive safely at high speeds.
Because the ideal safety distance depends mainly on the speed at which you are driving. And you are not always on the motorway. For example, at 60 km/h, you should leave about 36 metres between your car and the one in front of you. At 100 km/h, this distance increases to 60 metres. There is a calculation method that allows you to determine the safety distance to respect according to your speed. But even if you are very good at maths, it is unlikely that you will be fast enough to carry out the operation in an emergency situation!
Fortunately, there is a simpler and more practical method that everyone can apply, without any calculations: the two-second rule. Clearly written in the Highway Code, this rule allows you to quickly check whether you are respecting the necessary safety distance. Here is how it works.
Find a fixed point on the side of the road (road sign, pole, tree, house, etc.). When the car in front of you passes this point, start counting slowly to two. If you reach the same point before counting two seconds, you are too close and must increase the distance. And to count, know that it takes one second to say the word “crocodile”. By mentally saying “crocodile crocodile”, you will have your two seconds!
This method is effective and easy to apply in all driving conditions. But it must be adapted to the weather conditions which also affect the safety distance. In rainy weather, it is recommended to reduce your speed by at least 20 km/h to compensate for the reduction in grip and the increase in braking distances. In foggy weather or on an icy road, it is crucial to increase this distance further to avoid any risk of collision, by switching to the three-second rule (or more).
By respecting the two-second rule, you not only ensure your safety but also that of other road users. This rule is also a requirement of the Highway Code. By keeping this distance, you have more time to react to unforeseen situations, which can make the difference between an accident avoided and a collision.