Safe Driving and Hazard Perception
Safe driving is about managing space, speed and attention so that hazards never become emergencies. The core skill is observation: look well ahead, scan mirrors regularly, and check blind spots before changing position. Hazard perception means recognising a developing risk early, such as a pedestrian approaching a crossing, a car edging out of a side road, or a cyclist swerving around a parked vehicle.
The single most important concept is the safe following distance. In good, dry conditions leave at least a two-second gap behind the vehicle ahead; in rain, at night, or when tired, double it to four seconds or more. To apply the two-second rule, watch the vehicle ahead pass a fixed point such as a lamp post or road marking, then count "one thousand and one, one thousand and two". If you reach the point before finishing, you are too close.
Stopping distance has two parts: thinking distance (the distance covered while you react) and braking distance (the distance covered while braking). Both increase with speed, and braking distance increases far faster than speed because it rises roughly with the square of speed. Wet roads, worn tyres and poor brakes all lengthen braking distance. A common trap is a question implying that ABS shortens stopping distance; ABS mainly helps you steer while braking hard, and on loose surfaces it can lengthen stopping distance.
Worked example: you are travelling at a speed where your thinking distance is about 9 metres and your braking distance about 14 metres. Your overall stopping distance is 23 metres. If rain doubles the braking distance to 28 metres, your total becomes 37 metres, so you must drop speed and increase your gap.
Rule of thumb: only drive at a speed at which you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear.