Hurry Up and Wait

image of following too closelyOccasionally I look at a driver around me in traffic and ask myself "what can they be thinking?" Today I wondered if the driver behind me was thinking at all! Road conditions could be described as typical BC winter driving, but this guy was so close that I couldn't see snow between the rear of my vehicle and the front of his.

I was stuck behind a driver who chose to do 25 km/h in the posted 60 zone. It was a bit slow for my liking but it was slippery and I could not pass safely on the winding road. There was nothing to do but follow patiently behind until conditions changed. I chose to do so about 5 vehicle lengths back so that I had plenty of time to stop if need be.

Two other vehicles approached and the front one ended up about 3 meters behind me and stuck there. I was thinking "wonderful, now all that we need is a surprise." We got one in the form of a fire truck responding to a call. The slow driver moved to one side and kept going and I would have liked to pull over and stop immediately but couldn't without risking being hit from behind.

It costs nothing but a bit of consideration to leave an appropriate gap between you and the vehicle that you are following. In fact it may pay a big dividend by allowing time to react and avoid a situation that would otherwise result in a collision. Think about it. Please.

Reference Links:

Learn to Drive Smart - Chapter 5, Page 73

I think we all encounter the hot shot behind us that is trying to push.  It makes for a worrysome situation because we can see ahead and avoid dangers.  I  wonder if these jerks think ahead of their nose.  I travel what the road will bear due to present conditions and still hate the tail end charlies.   However we have to share with all drivers and hope the tailgaters pass and are long gone.