Safe Driving Practices
Safe-driving questions test following distance, speed management, and hazard perception. Use the two-second rule in good conditions: pick a fixed object, and when the vehicle ahead passes it, count two seconds before you reach it. Increase to three or four seconds in rain, at night, behind large vehicles, or when following motorcycles. In snow or ice, allow much more.
Speed must always be reasonable and prudent for conditions, not merely at or below the posted limit. Slow down in fog, heavy rain, construction zones, and near schools and playgrounds. Reduce speed before curves, not in them, and brake gently on slippery surfaces to avoid skids. If you skid, ease off the accelerator and steer where you want to go rather than braking hard.
Scan ahead 12–15 seconds, check mirrors frequently, and maintain space cushions on all sides. Signal before every lane change and shoulder-check for blind spots. At night, use low beams when following or meeting traffic and high beams only on open road; switch to low beams when a vehicle approaches.
Traps: assuming the posted limit is always safe; forgetting that following distance should grow with speed and poor weather; braking hard during a skid; relying on mirrors alone without a shoulder check.
Worked example: At highway speed in rain, a two-second gap is too short. Double it to four seconds: when the car ahead passes a signpost, you should not reach that post for four counts. This gives room to react if the leading vehicle brakes suddenly on wet pavement.