Roadwise States Wyoming Driving lessons Space cushion and following distance Wyoming driving lesson · Defensive Driving & Conditions
Space cushion and following distance A 3-minute lesson from the Wyoming course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit Defensive Driving & Conditions
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 75, 76, 77, 94 Space is your margin for other people's mistakes. Keep a cushion ahead, behind and to the sides. Most rear-end crashes come from following too closely, and the two-second rule is the easy way to measure.
Space cushion The space that isolates your vehicle from others: a cushion ahead, behind and to the sides of your vehicle.
Handbook p. 94 ↗ The two-second rule: Pick a fixed point ahead, such as a pole, shadow or pavement marking When the rear of the vehicle ahead passes it, count "one thousand and one, one thousand and two" If your front passes the point before you finish counting, you're too close Handbook p. 75 ↗ Know the rule
Counting seconds is easier and more accurate than judging vehicle lengths, and the two-second rule works at all speeds.
Handbook p. 75 ↗ Know the rule
Towing a boat or trailer adds length and weight, so it requires more following distance.
Handbook p. 75 ↗ If someone tailgates you: Communicate with turn signals, brake lights and early lane positioning Increase the space between you and the vehicle ahead Move to the right lane of a multilane highway Reduce your speed to encourage the driver to pass Handbook p. 76 ↗ Keep space to your sides: Avoid driving next to a bicyclist for long periods Avoid driving alongside other vehicles on multilane streets Keep as much space as possible between you and oncoming traffic Stay out of other drivers' blind spots, and keep others out of yours Keep space between you and parked vehicles Handbook p. 76 ↗ Know the rule
Separate risks: deal with them one at a time. Speed up or slow down so you meet each hazard separately.
Handbook p. 76 ↗ Know the rule
Compromise: when you can't separate risks, give the most room to the worst danger.
Handbook p. 77 ↗ Put it into practice
On a two-lane street, cars are coming toward you on the left and a child is riding a bike on your right. The child is more likely to move suddenly, so move closer to the center line to give the bike more room.
A useful reminder 2-4-6-8: normal, wet or night, snow, ice (for cars).
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 minimum following distance recommended for a car in good conditions? One second Four seconds Two seconds Half a second Answer: Two seconds
If you are driving a car, stay at least two seconds back from the vehicle ahead using the two-second rule.
Handbook p. 75 ↗ How many seconds of following distance should a bus driver maintain? At least two seconds At least six seconds At least eight seconds At least four seconds Answer: At least four seconds
Bus drivers should stay at least four seconds back from the vehicle ahead, more than the two seconds for cars.
Handbook p. 75 ↗ At night or when carrying a heavier than normal load, how should a car's following distance change? Stay the same at two seconds Double it, to about four seconds Cut in half to one second Triple to six seconds Answer: Double it, to about four seconds
Double the number of seconds when the roads are wet, when carrying a heavier than normal load, or at night; for cars, that's about four seconds.
Handbook p. 75 ↗ On roads covered with ice, how many seconds of following distance should a car maintain? Six seconds, triple the normal distance Four seconds, double the normal distance Two seconds, the normal distance Eight seconds, quadruple the normal distance Answer: Eight seconds, quadruple the normal distance
Quadruple the number of seconds when ice covers the road; for cars, that is about eight seconds.
Handbook p. 76 ↗ If a driver behind you is tailgating, what is one recommended response? Increase your following distance ahead Brake sharply to warn them off Speed up until they back away Move into the left lane Answer: Increase your following distance ahead
You can provide more time and space ahead by increasing the following distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
Handbook p. 76 ↗ What defensive technique involves giving the most room to the greater of two dangers you can't separate? Compromise space Isolating your vehicle Separating risks Scanning ahead Answer: Compromise space
Compromise space means giving the most room to the worst danger when you cannot separate two risks and must deal with them at the same time.
Handbook p. 77 ↗ Previous lesson IPDE: identify, predict, decide, execute Next lesson Driving at night More in Defensive Driving & Conditions About the source Roadwise’s Wyoming course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 75, 76, 77, 94. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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