It is not surprising for the vehicle in front of you on a freeway to suddenly apply on its brake. As a natural reaction, you slam on the brake pedal but it was not enough and you end up crashing your vehicle into the other car.
The above scenario could have been averted.
How?
Well, all you had to do was simply implement the 4-second driving rule.
What’s the 4-second rule in driving?
Keeping your car at least 4 seconds away from the car in front of you as both vehicles cruise down a road is known as the 4-second rule.
Why it is important to implement the 4-second rule in your daily drives?
Implementing the 4-second rule for driving lets you stay safe on the roads. You can also help other motorists avoid a fatal pile-up. Additionally, if you are driving your car with your loved ones aboard it, maintaining this rule becomes a necessity. On top of this, even if your car crashes and you have proof that you maintained the 4-second rule, your insurer will not deny you your payout!
Determining the safe distance is easy when you are driving under the limit
There are many benefits of driving under the speed limit. As you increase the speed of your vehicle, its momentum increases as well. With increased momentum, your car would need to cover additional distance before coming to a stop.
Driving under the speed limit lets you have enough time to safely brake and bring your car to a stop. Additionally, you will benefit from the extra few seconds that you can use to react properly. Furthermore, the additional few seconds will help you determine the safe and correct distance from the vehicles in front of you.
Tailgating is dangerous and avoiding it is pretty easy
You might have mastered the art of defensive braking or safely bringing your car to a halt on icy or wet road conditions. But, if you are tailgating other vehicles, you will not have enough road or time to do that! As per data pulled from fleet tracker users, most private vehicles that choose to drive dangerously close to big rigs are at higher risk of being in an accident. Avoiding this is easy with the 4-second rule!
Steps for implementing the 4 seconds rule in driving
Implementing the 4-second rule in driving is relatively easy when you know what you are doing.
The first thing you should do is use a GPS tracker for car and choose the route with minimal traffic and congestion. After that, identify a stationary object on the road in front of your car. The object could be a tree, a milepost, etc. Start counting from one to four as soon as the car in front of you passes the previously identified stationary object.
If your car passes that previously identified stationary object before you count ‘4’ you are too close to the vehicle in front. Slow down and keep doing that until ample space is between the two vehicles.
Use a connected car device and stay safe on the roads
How?
Connected car devices made by reputed brands offer car owners features like route planning.
How will route planning help you stay safe on the roads?
Well, you can gauge what the traffic would be like on your way to work or that holiday destination you have been planning to explore. Using the information from your private or fleet tracking device app, you can avoid stretches of the road with heavy traffic. When you still encounter traffic you can maintain the 4-second rule for driving in a bid to stay safe.
Additional benefits of using a GPS tracker for car
The latest generation of consumer and fleet tracker devices lets users keep track of their vehicle’s overall health. Additionally, gas stations can be evaluated in a bid to get the best quality fuel at the right price.
On top of this, tracker devices for vehicles also let users set geozones around their vehicles. In this way, the tracker acts like an anti-theft device and also protects the vehicle from unauthorized towing.
You need to master the 4-second rule
Now that you have learned about the 4-second rule, you might be eager to implement it in your daily drives.
Please note that the 4-second rule is easy on paper but hard to implement on the roads. Additionally, there are other factors that you need to consider. For example, keeping your vehicle 4 seconds away from the vehicle in front is not enough. You need to have defensive driving skills and at the same time, be aware of your surroundings.
Additionally, the 4-second rule is applicable at relatively low speeds. At cruising speeds, make sure that there is ample space between your car and other motorists. It is the only way for you to have enough reaction time if something happens in the road ahead.
Also, ensure that you keep tabs on the overall health of your vehicle using the best OBD2 GPS tracker. The best vehicle trackers ensure that you replace the brake pads and tires of your vehicle at the right intervals. The outcome is that you will be able to stay safe on the roads.