Following Distance
 When following behind a truck leave yourself 20 to 25 car lengths behind it. This may seem like a long distance but because large trucks obscure visibility far more than smaller vehicles that much room is needed so that you have enough time to react if road conditions suddenly change. A good rule of thumb to ensure that you've left yourself enough room is to look for the truck's side mirrors. If you can see them your in a good place
Some of the things that can happen that require that much space behind a truck are this:
- Debris in the road like lumber or a ladder might have no impact on a large truck. If that debris was suddenly in front of you because the truck drove over it and you were following too closely it could have a devastating impact.
- On congested roadways traffic often slows down suddenly. If you are traveling too closely behind a truck you cannot see the slow down coming.
- At highway speeds everything happens very fast. Accidents up ahead or right in front of a truck require fast reactions. Leaving enough space in front of you will allow for that response. |
