In the picture, the blue car is following the red car. Under normal conditions, what is the minimum following distance the blue car's driver should keep?
Correct answer: One car length for every 10 mph, or a 3-second gap.
Answer options
AOne car length for every 10 mph, or a 1-second gap
BOne car length for every 10 mph, or a 5-second gap
COne car length for every 10 mph, or a 3-second gap Correct
Why
The usual guideline is one car length for each 10 mph of speed, or at least 3 seconds: when the red car passes a fixed marker, the blue car should not reach that marker until three seconds have gone by. A 1-second gap is far too close, and 5 seconds is more than the normal minimum, though rain, fog or heavy traffic call for extra room.
