Suitable Clearances - Safe Distances

While you are driving you should at all times maintain safe separation distances between yourself, hazards and any other road users.

The clearance that you leave is your security against the unexpected

Below are a few rules that will help you to know what a safe distance is and what should be looking for in each circumstance

1) Clearance - Tyres and tarmac between stationary vehicles in traffic.

When it is necessary to pull up behind a stationary vehicle in traffic, for example at traffic lights, you should make sure that when you stop you can see where the tyres of the vehicle in front touch the road and a little tarmac behind them.

There are at least two good reasons for this.

• If you stop behind another vehicle on a hill and the driver of the vehicle ahead does not take a suitable biting point then they could easily role back into you.
• If the car ahead of you does not move off for any reason and the vehicle behind is really close, as they usually are, it is comforting to know that you can move off without having to wait for others to reverse foryou.

You need to remember that the tyres and tarmac gap is an absolute minimum and therefore not something to be aimed at. You should aim to pull up before the point of tyres and tarmac.

2) Clearance - Two second rule from the vehicle ahead in moving traffic.

While driving along a road with a vehicle in front of you there needs to be a safe separation distance between the vehicles. To judge this distance we use the "two second rule".

Choose a solid object such as a lamp post, sign post or tree at the side of the road. When the rear of the vehicle in front passes the object start to count the seconds. If you count to two seconds correctly and the front of your vehicle has not yet reached the object then you do have sufficient separation distance between the vehicles.

If the reason for this is not obvious then give up driving now!

The faster a vehicle is going the more distance it needs to stop. Just in case you did not know.

3) Clearance - Door width when passing stationary vehicles.

When passing a stationary vehicle you need to maintain a safe distance from that vehicle. An accident that may occur is that the driver/passenger opens a door right there in front of you without looking and gets it ripped off, Ouch. Make sure that as you pass stationary vehicles that this will not happen.

(Editors note) As a practising A.D.I I can assure you that pupils of mine avoid ripping the doors from other vehicles on a weekly basis by obeying this rule.

4) Clearance - Middle of the available gap when the gap is not big enough for a door width.

If you are on a road that has stationary vehicles on both sides then you may be thinking that leaving a door opening width from the vehicle on the left is a good idea. It is as long as this gap does not leave you any closer to the vehicles on the right than those on the left. If this would be the case then go through the middle of the available gap. Remember to slow down. With that many vehicles parked there are innumerable places that unseen pedestrians may come from.