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It's effectively impossible to maintain safe stopping distances in many places. Speaking from experience in Chicago, it's just a concept that doesn't exist for

It's effectively impossible to maintain safe stopping distances in many places. Speaking from experience in Chicago, it's just a concept that doesn't exist for many people. And if you are driving slower in order to maintain a safe stopping distance, you're creating an extra hazard on the road by maintaining a larger speed differential from the rest of traffic. Not to mention, you increase your own risk of accidents because of all the people that will aggressively cut you off. I personally always try to maintain a safe-ish stopping distance, but I'll also ensure that I'm never in a position where I'm missing a swerve ready escape route.

linuxftw 4y ago
Little known fact: You can travel the exact speed of the car in front of you while also being any distance N behind them. If I'm traveling greater than 50MPH, I leave at least 3 car lengths between me and them, this is to allow for reaction time to stop at the same rate they are stopping.
- scruple 4y ago
  In California that just means that in the span of 15 seconds 3 other cars are going to move in front of you and the car that was ahead of you.
  - anikom15 4y ago
    Why does that matter at all? Just slow down to get more space whenever that happens.
frumper 4y ago
In my experience they will aggressively cut you off anyway, so you might as well give yourself some breathing room.