I started noticing it a few years ago when I was delivering auto parts. Drivers will leave a 1 to 2 car length gap between them and the car in front of them at a red light. It seems to be becoming more and more common and I was wondering if anyone knows why?
The only thing I see it accomplishing is making the line longer and blocking people from using the left and right turn lanes at busy intersections.
Maybe they are just worried about getting rear ended? I dont get it either.
I was rear-ended at a red light a couple years ago which pushed me in to the car in front of me. I was liable for all damages to the car in front of me. All while stopped at a red light. Cops told me I was to close to the car in front of me. Now I leave a gap
The reason is in case you get rear ended you don’t get pushed into the car in front of you.
Very few people know that (my dad drove for UPS for years and they teach that) so it’s probably not the reason people are doing it now.
^^^
What they said.
I heard on the radio it leaves you an escape route if somebody runs up to car-jack you.
What my dad who drove truck for a living in town taught me, was to never pull up so far as you can’t see the bottom of the rear tires of the car in front of you. That way if they stall out or whatever you can without backing up pull around them. I get the getting rear ended thing though as I have seen that a number of times.
I leave a gap after the time I got kinda close only to find the car in front of the line had stalled. We were all too bunched up and had difficulties communicating to people down the line to back up so we can all go around. I don’t leave enough for 1-2 cars though. That seems a bit extreme.
Cops told me I was to close to the car in front of me
Do they recommend a measurable distance to avoid liability then? Otherwise how would they know how close you were and if another couple of feet or so would have made a difference? For example, is leaving 8 feet of space enough to avoid liability or should it be more like 12+ feet?
There are schools in the military that teach defensive/evasive driving where you put a full vehicle length ahead of you to be able to maneuver forward without needing a 3 pt turn. Im sure repetition maybe transfers that skill to the streets. More often, it is just not to be pushed into vehicle ahead. I was always taught to keep a vehicle length away. Makes more sense than vice versa I guess.
Been told it also gives you room to get out of harms way – as in somebody approaching you with ill intent as you sit at a light.
Not much chance of escape pinned between two other cars…
So I can get out of the way if someone comes in hot behind me at a red light, and then get a rolling start when the light turns green.
When I was delivering electrical supplies all over Chicago I made sure to leave enough room in front of me to go around. One too many times a POS car would break down or a human POS would try to open my passenger door while I ignored their scam sob story.
I was taught in the early 80’s in drivers education to stop far enough away from the car in front of me to be able to see the bottom of their tires on the pavement. Point being, this isn’t a new thing.
I leave a ½ car gap so: I have room to move if someone came in hot, hopefully wont rearend the car in front of me if I was hit, can get out without backing up, theft, and now my auto start will start up and I get a roll before touching the gas. I was taught to let a motor run for a bit before putting it in gear and hitting the gas. You barely get 1 cycle before you hit the gas from the break with the AutoStop/Start. The gap give it a bit more time so I don’t hold up the line behind me. Actually gets me going faster.
There are also the people out there that leave room because they are playing on their phone and not pay attention to their driving.
All kinds of reasons to do this I guess. On a narrow 2 lane road one time, with cliffs on the right and a couple hundred foot drop on the left.. traffic came to a STOP… the vehicles all pulled off onto the shoulder as far as they could… I followed suit.. didn’t know why…??? Then the ambulance came rolling down the middle of the centerline, there was bad accident at the front and the opening was to get to the hospital and other emergency vehicles to pass. They had about a lane and a half with the cars pulled over. Pretty neat concept.
I was taught in the early 80’s in drivers education to stop far enough away from the car in front of me to be able to see the bottom of their tires on the pavement. Point being, this isn’t a new thing.
Yup, that’s what I was taught too. And if you’re old enough to remember a time when most cars were manual transmission, people would step on the clutch and roll backwards while getting into first gear. You left some roof. Man I’m dating myself.
SR
Do they recommend a measurable distance to avoid liability then? Otherwise how would they know how close you were and if another couple of feet or so would have made a difference? For example, is leaving 8 feet of space enough to avoid liability or should it be more like 12+ feet?
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You would have to ask them lol.
Wayback, when I taught drivers education, I told students to stop at a point where they can see the entire rear wheel of the car in front of them. Reason being, if the car in front of you stalls, you have room to pull around them and if a car hits you from behind you have a reasonable safe zone if your car lurches forward.
This seemed to really come about when covid masks did. I believe many of these people do this to feel safe from others around them. Others so they don’t catch covid from the car in front of them. Then again others are just trying to avoid pulling up next to another car so people won’t stare at them using the phone.
You all are giving the general public waaaaaaaaay to much credit.
.001% of the public do so for the reasons you all listed, but the other 99.999% are simply just not paying attention to traffic while on their damn phones…
defensive driving ftw
to give the person in front of me room to back out of the pedestrian crossing lane.
Just checked out the distance between vehicles to see the bottom of the tires. My truck behind her crossover 10 1/2′. Her crossover behind my truck 9′. So that’s 1/2 a car length and also enough to get out from behind a stalled vehicle without a 3 point turn with either vehicle.
So I’m still left wondering why cars are 25 to 50′ behind cars at intersections?
So many people drive with their seat as far down as possible that the only way they can see the back bumper of the car in front of them that they need to stay two cars back.
I also have seen people 2 cars back of the stop bar when they are first in line at the red light.
PIA when they don’t trigger the traffic signal sensor. Spent 5 minutes waiting at a light that is usually 2 minutes.
I just think drivers lack spatial accuracy.
I think it’s a weird societal COVID hangover- It might not even be to feel safer it that particular situation but people may be subconsciously just giving more space. I notice I do this in line at the store now – I just automatically give a bigger buffer for no reason. Anyway, I’m all for a little more space at lights, for the most part.
I think tit’s a weird societal COVID hangover- It might not even to feel safer it that particular situation but people may be subconsciously just giving more space. I notice I do this in line at the store now – I just automatically give a bigger buffer for no reason. Anyway, I’m all for a little more space at lights, for the most part.
I can’t stand when people get in my personal bubble when standing in line. Its like dude – you’re going to get to the cash register at the exact same time whether you’re standing 6″ from me or 3 feet. Give me some space, I don’t want to be so close that I can smell what you had for lunch. I was like that before covid too.
In my case if the light is red I’ll stop wherever I want to. Those behind me always seem to figure it out.
All the above are good legit ideas.
About a block should be good for the Ins.Co. Sharon.
I was rear-ended at a red light a couple years ago which pushed me in to the car in front of me. I was liable for all damages to the car in front of me. All while stopped at a red light. Cops told me I was to close to the car in front of me. Now I leave a gap
When I was in HS my girlfriend rear ended the car in front of her leaving the parking lot. It started a chain reaction of like 10 cars rear ending each other. Only one not liable was the guy at the head of the line.
What this tells me is someone needs to get out of bed a tad earlier in the morning if they need to smash the accelerator and has to roll through a Full stop. My apologies, I digress and get off of here.
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