Is the concept of "safe gap" foreign?

[fireheart]

So it's been raining down here lately. A LOT. Which of course, means you need to adjust your driving for wet weather. As I was taught, that means increase your gap between the car in front and the car behind, lights go on and you drive slightly slower if needed (fortunately major roads like the Expressway and the Southern Freeway have electronic speed limit signs, which change depending on the weather or other road conditions)

this morning, driving on a major road getting to the uni, I wound up getting tailgated SO. MANY. TIMES. Given I had just been rear-ended 2 weeks ago and I'm waiting to get my car fixed, I would like to not repeat the experience(*). In addition, cars also ended up cutting through my safe gap meaning that I had to brake slightly to keep the gap I just lost thanks to the guy who thought it was brilliant to drive through it.

*=I'd been coming down a road, had to brake suddenly because everyone else did, I stopped, the car behind me did not. My car now has a few dents under the bumper, the bumper itself has been pushed UP meaning that the lid of my car's boot scrapes along the bumper when I lift it up and the bumper is also cracked. We also reckon that I tapped the car in front but not enough to cause any major damage to THAT car, so my right front headlight is smashed-the globe still works and I get plenty of light, just the cover itself has a nice huge hole in it.

[Kiwi]

I totally get your frustration! I had to drive across the province a month or so ago and it was pouring rain through most of the drive. Trucks would barrel down the road and get so close to my trunk I couldn't see the lights anymore. This wasn't on hills, I was already going twenty K/h over the limit and let me say again it was POURING RAIN.

I got really close to slamming on my brakes a few times, it's only because the BF has his license for those huge rigs and I know that they literally can't brake when people do that, I didn't want to cause them to tip over but it REALLY got me angry that they were driving so dangerously.

[fireheart]

I totally get your frustration! I had to drive across the province a month or so ago and it was pouring rain through most of the drive. Trucks would barrel down the road and get so close to my trunk I couldn't see the lights anymore. This wasn't on hills, I was already going twenty K/h over the limit and let me say again it was POURING RAIN.

Trucks aren't so bad, it's other cars. Mostly because the trucks in question tend to go about 20km/h SLOWER than other cars. (on the freeway, they have to go 60km/h from a certain point to the end of the freeway due to a huge number of crashes occurring there)

Another concept that seems foreign to people in my state: indicators.

A coworker of mine got into a car accident last night (he wasn't driving, his friend was) because someone didn't indicate at a roundabout. I almost rear-ended someone ELSE because they suddenly decided that they needed to do a U-turn on a steep and narrow road without warning. (the road up to the university I go to is really steep and somewhat narrow-NOT a good place for your immobiliser to kick in either)

[blas]

Not many people abide by "safe following distance" around here. Especially in the mornings with the suicide rush people. Not my problem you live 15 miles away and only give yourself 15 minutes to get to work.

What really sucks is because the old highway is under construction all summer and already all torn up, so I have to take the freeway home in the mornings, which I absolutely hate because everyone is in such a damn hurry trying to get to work by 8 am. Oh it drives me up a wall how people just drive right up your ass and don't let off.

Even on residential streets......on my way to the gym, I'm already going 35 in a 30 or faster than I should be, and yet people still go roaring up my ass.

[Andara Bledin]

I was driving through morning rush once and was just commenting on how too many people were following too closely and was just passing a fender bender accident involving three cars off to the side of the road. Well, I wasn't the only one who looked over at the cars because I heard some idiot lookie loo who was following too close hit the car in front of him in the next lane over.

^-.-^