Vans and the 3-second rule

**mikey177** · May 25th, 2004 02:17 PM

While we were on the NLEX last weekend, I was explaining to my son the 3-scond rule (i.e. when driving on the highway, maintain a three-second gap between you and the vehicle in front of you to enable you to make a safe emergency stop).

However, I got to wondering if the 3-second rule only worked for sedans and not for vans/SUVs, which have a greater weight and would presumably need more distance to come to a full stop.

Do you guys use the 3-second rule when driving on the highway in a van/SUV, or something else?

**Ungas** · May 25th, 2004 02:39 PM

For bigger vehicles, 5 or more should be applied. Lalo na kung flat-nosed vans. Sa SUV kasi malaki ang weight factor so you may need to adjust depending on the vehicle.

**mikey177** · May 25th, 2004 03:28 PM

Yeah, that's what I suspected. Thanks, Ungas. I will adjust my reactionary gap to 5 seconds since my Sedona weighs more than 1,700 kg.

**Ungas** · May 25th, 2004 04:08 PM

I did tried the 3 sec rule in E. Rodriguez once, the result was not good.

**skipper** · May 25th, 2004 04:15 PM

Hindi ba dapat distance ang pinapag-usapan? Parang mahirap kasi i-estimate kung yung time, lalo na pag iba-ibang speed.

**the_wildthing** · May 25th, 2004 04:16 PM

All this time I thought it was two seconds. Or maybe it's relative to the speed. The faster you are the further away you should be, plus factor in your braking power. I think it's safe to say "exercise good judgement given the circumstances."

The general idea is to never be too close such that if he brakes hard you will hit him due to either delayed reaction or brake failure.

skipper: mas madali ang time regardless of the speed, because the distance will differ depending on the speed. Estimate lang naman yung two seconds so as the vehicle in front of you passes a fixed landmark, e.g. a post, count one-thousand-one one-thousand-two, on two or three you should be passing the post.

**mikey177** · May 25th, 2004 04:58 PM

Plus, since the rainy season is upon us, we have to factor in reduced traction on wet roads too... slippery when wet ikanga.

**Pencils** · May 25th, 2004 06:01 PM

I'm not sure I've ever heard of the 3 second rule. I use car lengths to maintain a safe distance from the car in front, never less than one length regardless of speed and definitely a whole lot more if driving fast or in complicated situations, as in being lost and looking for directions or signposts, or feeling not all that 100 % and therefore compensating for reaction time.

**Walter** · May 25th, 2004 10:41 PM

Maintain 1 car length per 10 Km / hour speed.

**ARB** · May 25th, 2004 10:56 PM

some say if you can read the plate number then you are too close. dont know which part of the plate siguro the small letters. but wait if you have eye trouble what happens? but you should not be driving anyways if you have.