Which statement correctly describes following distance?

Which statement correctly describes following distance?

• A. You should always keep a fixed two-second gap
• B. The faster you go, the longer your following distance should be
• C. The faster you go, the shorter your following distance should be
• D. Speed has no effect on following distance

Answer: (B)

Following distance is about giving yourself enough time to react and stop if the vehicle ahead brakes suddenly. Your stopping distance grows with speed because you cover more ground during your perception and reaction time plus braking. So as speed rises, you should maintain a longer gap to accommodate that extra distance. That’s why increasing the following distance with speed is correct. A fixed two-second gap isn’t always safe at higher speeds or in poor conditions, and it’s not true that faster speed means a shorter gap or that speed doesn’t affect distance.

Following distance is about giving yourself enough time to react and stop if the vehicle ahead brakes suddenly. Your stopping distance grows with speed because you cover more ground during your perception and reaction time plus braking. So as speed rises, you should maintain a longer gap to accommodate that extra distance. That’s why increasing the following distance with speed is correct. A fixed two-second gap isn’t always safe at higher speeds or in poor conditions, and it’s not true that faster speed means a shorter gap or that speed doesn’t affect distance.