Featured Phantom Traffic Jams, and a new type of Adaptive Cruise Control

I use the three second rule and my wife says I am tailgating.

I can't remember the last time I was on the Interstate. Sometimes when I cross over I-94 and the traffic is stopped reminds me why.
I don't get on the Interstate to go one exit.

 

Sometimes when I get into a stop and go situation I put the car into the "B" position so I am not constantly tapping my brakes.
It acts like a standard transmission that way and will hold back just enough to maintain the distance to the car in front of me.

 

2 seconds not very much. I recall mature driver course suggests at least 3 seconds at highway speeds.

 

Me too, always heard three seconds.

 

It seems like nobody down here ever heard of three seconds except people who moved from places like Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I learned 2 seconds in drivers' ed.

Maybe that's to account for slower reaction times.

 

I thought it was 2 + 1. two seconds for good conditions. each additional hazard adds 1 second.

raining? add 1 so it's 3 seconds. a driver tailgating you in the rain? add another second, 4 seconds. the driver in front of you obviously on a phone, add another second... so now I'm up to 5 seconds.

some people never learn though. I was driving home the other day, in the snow, the road was packed ruts and ridges. the ruts were icy. I was going 30-35, a guy behind me was tailgating. I had a line of 20 or more cars in front, and had at least a 10-15 second gap in front. This guy behind was weaving looking to pass, so i slowly eased off and slowed to about 25 MPH. Now he really wants to pass. he slides left and sees oncoming traffic so he slides back right. then for some reason he moves farther right and steers left to correct. But he oversteered. he does 3 or 4 donuts before stopping. Jockeys for position 3 or 4 times to get going again, cutting off another guy behind him in the process. So he's now moving and a good half mile or more behind me. You think he learned his lesson? he comes up right on my butt again, and we have a mile and a half to the next stop sign and there's still that line of cars. Except we are now going 5 MPH because somebody up front spun out on a curve and was blocking the lane. Yes, he honked his horn and flashed his bright lights to make me go faster...