The rules for driving demand to keep at least enough distance to the vehicle before you, that you can safely perform an emergency break, if the vehicle should do so too.

In driving ed i learned that you need to keep at least 2seconds distance to the car in front of you, one second to react and one second to perform a similiar break maneuver like them. If your vehicle is heavier you need to increase that distance.

Whenever i drove like this the only result was people taking it as an invitation to swear in between the car in front of me and me. I want undercover cops in plain cars to just drive and record everyone violating the safe distance or takeing the space that is left as safe distance. We could resolve muncipal debt and drop the amount of deadly accidents by at least 50% this way.

[–] UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev 8 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Surprised to hear the rule is 2 seconds in Denmark, it's 3 in Norway

[–] tryptaminev@feddit.de 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm in Germany

[–] UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Ah sorry, got it mixed up with feddit.dk I think

[–] jadero@programming.dev 3 points 8 months ago

Canada used to recommend 1 car-length for every 10 miles per hour. Along with metrification, that was changed to 2 seconds, but it's been set at 3 seconds for a long time.

I've yet to drive in traffic where even 1.5 seconds is manageable. More space than that and some slips into the gap, even if that leaves something like a loaded tractor-trailer hanging a second off their rear bumper.

[–] exocrinous@lemm.ee 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Cops can't solve bad driving. Fear of punishment is not an effective deterrent. We know this because we've done the psychology and looked at the numbers. Unsafe driving is an infrastructure problem. In my country, people leave enough space between cars. It's not because we have more police than yours, it's because we have safer designed roads. Every traffic accident that causes a death is an infrastructure failure.

[–] tryptaminev@feddit.de 4 points 8 months ago

It is both.

Germany often sees reckless driving compared to its neighbouring countries in similair road conditions. Lack of enforcement and small penalties do play an imporant role in that. The infrastructure is similiar, but other countries actually enforce things like speed limits much more actively. At the end of the day if bad driving equals unsafe driving, the person shouldnt drive.