Speed Limits, Following Distance and Safe Driving Behaviour
The limits
Unless a sign says otherwise, the general limits are about 50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h on the open road and 110 km/h on the designated highways. Posted limits are maximums for perfect conditions, not targets. Lower limits apply near schools, roadworks and sharp bends, and you must reduce speed further for rain, darkness, gravel or poor visibility.
Following distance
The two-second rule is the minimum gap in dry weather. Pick a fixed object on the roadside; when the vehicle ahead passes it, count two seconds. If you reach the object before you finish counting, you are too close. Double it to four seconds in rain, at night, behind a heavy vehicle or when being tailgated.
Reading the road
Look well ahead, roughly 12 seconds of travel, and scan for brake lights, junctions, pedestrians and side roads. Match your speed to what you can see, not to the sign. A safe stop needs time to think plus time to brake, so speed multiplies your stopping distance far more than it multiplies your journey speed.
Worked example
You are following a truck at 80 km/h on a wet road. At two seconds you would be too close: the truck blocks your view, the surface is slippery and your braking distance has grown. You drop back to at least four seconds and, if someone fills the gap, you ease off again rather than hold the same speed.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the posted limit as a safe speed in rain or fog.
- Counting the gap only in your head once, instead of checking it repeatedly.
- Speeding up to close a gap that another driver has left.
- Overtaking to save time on a road where you cannot see far enough ahead.