Vans and the 3-second rule

[mikey177]

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]

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]

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]

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

[skipper]

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

[the_wildthing]

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]

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

[Pencils]

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]

Maintain 1 car length per 10 Km / hour speed.

[ARB]

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.

[revoGSX]

ngayon ko lang narinig itong 3-second rule.. nasa test ba ito ng LTO?

normally mga at least 2 cars ang distance ko sa front.. mas malayo pag more than 100kph na...

[odell]

hinde ko gets.. panu naging second?

[revoGSX]

Originally posted by the_wildthing
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.

wildthing,
hindi ba mahirap i-count? baka sa kakahanap ng fixed landmark while driving eh... 1-2-3-4-blag....

[pissword]

sir walter, i think its 1 meter/10kph hehe ndi 1 car length

i always maintain this, at least more or less ganyan.. except sa traffic sobra..

mabilis me magpatakbo kasi pero lagi malaki gap sa harap ko

[AC]

sa canada.. they teach 2 sec sa driver's ed.

[vinj]

For the three second rule, eye the car in front of you and pick a stationary object on the side of the road that you are both approaching (i.e. a tree, lamp post, street sign, etc). When the car passes it, count how many seconds it takes you to pass the same object. That then is the time that separates you and the vehicle ahead.

The time also depends on weather and traffic conditions. If its slow moving traffic like on EDSA, you can keep closer but if your on fast traffic or slippery roads, adjust and stay further.

[the_wildthing]

Originally posted by revoGSX
wildthing,
hindi ba mahirap i-count? baka sa kakahanap ng fixed landmark while driving eh... 1-2-3-4-blag....

Hehehe. Oo nga no. Pero na-try ko na hindi naman, basta malapit lang sa kalye. Dami naman landmark, kahit nga kanto ng tindahan o asong naka-upo. Wag lang tatakbo. :D

Ok din yung 2 car lengths at highway speeds. At more than 100kph (which is beyond the limit anyway) I think 2 car lengths is too short especially for hard braking.

[pajerokid]

i dont think its a good idea to maintain a gap based on time. ang tinuturo dati ay yung "Safe following Distance" which is basically one car length per 10kph. so if youre running at 100kph, you should be at least 10 car lengths from the car in front of you.

[badkuk]

hmmm...assuming a sedan is about 3.5-4 meters...at 100kph, dapat 35-40 meters away ako?

(who am i kidding...my ave speed is 60kph B).

[pajerokid]

i guess estimating distance is a lot easier on the brain than estimating time.