Safe Following Gap
Pick a speed, see the space to keep. Everything runs in the browser.
Road
Gap to keep · 5 car lengths 22.2 m
Braking 9.5 m
Total to stop 31.7 m
Two seconds is a following rule, not a stopping distance. The space you actually need to stop is the reaction bar plus the braking bar. On a wet road the braking bar grows, the reaction bar does not.
| Country | Following rule |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 2 seconds — Highway Code rule 126, guidance rather than law |
| Australia | 2 seconds; 3 in NSW; 4 for heavy vehicles |
| Japan | 2 seconds on ordinary roads, 3 on expressways |
| France | 2 seconds |
| Germany | Half the speedometer reading, roughly 1.8 seconds |
| Indonesia | No official figure in the traffic law |