A 3-minute lesson from the Montana course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Rear-end crashes are very common, and they happen when drivers follow too closely to stop in time. Keep a space cushion ahead of you, and manage the drivers behind you too.
Three-Second Rule
When the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point, count one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand. If you reach the point first, you're too close. It works at any speed.
Stop to pick up or drop off passengers out of the flow of traffic. To parallel park with traffic behind, signal, pull next to the space, and let following vehicles pass first.
If you're tailgated, move right if there's a right lane. If not, wait until the way is clear, then slow down gradually to encourage the driver to pass. Never slow quickly to discourage a tailgater.
A pickup is riding your bumper on a two-lane road with no right lane. When the road ahead is clear, ease off the gas gradually so it can pass. Don't tap your brakes to punish it — that only raises your risk of being hit.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What is the standard following distance rule for normal driving conditions?
The Two-Second Rule
The Three-Second Rule
The Five-Second Rule
The Ten-Second Rule
Answer: The Three-Second Rule
The Three-Second Rule is the standard way to check that you're not following too closely, at any speed.
You're following a heavily loaded pickup pulling a trailer on a highway. How should your following distance change compared to normal?
Decrease it to save time
Keep it exactly the same as normal
It only matters if you're also towing
Increase it; its driver may not see you
Answer: Increase it; its driver may not see you
Drivers of vehicles pulling campers or trailers may not see you directly behind them and could stop suddenly, so leave a four-second following distance.