Maintain A Safe Following Distance With The 3-Second Rule

Maintain A Safe Following Distance With The 3-Second Rule

As you can probably guess, rear-end accidents are one of the most common causes of car accidents. We hear about these types of accidents occurring all of the time across the state of Oregon. For that matter, rear-accidents are a nation-wide problem. What you might not realize is the kinds of serious injuries that can be sustained in a rear-end accident. Whiplash, broken bones, concussions and lacerations are just some of the injuries that we have seen due to a rear-accident. For this reason, it’s important to do whatever we can as drivers to prevent these types of accidents. 

The best method that you can implement to avoid a rear-end accident is by creating a safe following distance between yourself and the vehicle ahead of you. Let’s take a quick look at what constitutes a safe following distance and a very helpful method that you can use to help create the proper distance. 

How do you use the 3 second following distance rule?

Why is the following distance so important to note?

Take a second to think about what happens when you are driving too closely behind the vehicle in front of you. Your reaction time is cut down drastically. You can’t see what’s happening in front of that vehicle. If you need to brake suddenly, you won’t have enough time to do so without smashing into the vehicle in front of you.

Oregon takes the following distance VERY seriously

Oregon police are cracking down on tailgaters. They have new technology to help them with this mission. They use a laser that will show them if drivers are following too closely. In addition to measuring the following distance, it can also figure out your speed. So you could be in for another ticket! All said and done, tailgaters can end up paying up to $355 in fines. Learn more about it here.

Utilize the 3-Second Rule

It’s time to talk about the solution for drivers who are looking to create a safe driving distance between vehicles. The 3-Second Rule is the best method out there. Pick a non-moving object somewhere along the road. It can be a tree, a sign, a telephone pole or whatever noticeable object you are passing. When the vehicle in front of your passes that object, start counting. You should be able to count to three in the time it takes your vehicle to reach the object that you chose.

The 3-Second Rule is simple, yet effective. It ensures that you have created enough space between vehicles in case you need to come to a sudden stop. If you are following behind a big tractor trailer, we recommend increasing it to the 4-Second Rule. These trucks are much slower when coming to a complete stop. It helps to give some extra space there in the event that you need to come to a quick, complete stop. 

Distracted driving is a contributing problem

Rear-end accidents are often a combination of a short following distance and distracted driving. Smart phones are big contributors to this issue. More people today are texting and talking on the phone while driving. Once again, Oregon police are continuing to crack down on distracted drivers all across the state with increased training and experience. You can even see a fine as high as $1,000 on your first violation. This in itself is enough of a reason to stay off your phone while driving!

Contact a Committed Oregon Personal Injury Lawyer Today!

If you were the victim of a rear-end accident here in the state of Oregon because another driver failed to maintain a safe driving distance, contact us today for a free case evaluation. You can also reach us directly at: 1-800-285-8678. Our team of highly skilled personal injury attorneys will work hard to ensure that you receive the compensation that you deserve!

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