Poll of the Day > Boy it sure would be cool if I could follow the two-second rule while driving

(+) Yeah! (+)

Me: *being a good driver and leaving space between myself and the car in front of me*

Every jackass: *cuts over into said space, forcing me to slow down and leave more space between myself and said jackass*

Every additional jackass: *repeats step 2*

Me: *ends up slowing down over and over because of these fucks*
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Clearly less rule following and more jackassery is needed.

ok
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Just drive slower.
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jramirez23 posted...

Just drive slower.

I'm already going the speed limit, why should I have to slow down just because someone else is driving dangerously
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yeah, i hate that shit. newsflash, assholes, that gap i'm leaving isn't for you to squeeze into. it's the buffer zone so i don't rear end someone if traffic stops short.
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But the speed limit is a maximum speed that in theory, you're not supposed to be hovering around or above.
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when i read the title i thought you were talking about dropped food. (although thats the 5second rule)
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2 second rule is pretty stupid anyways. 3-5 is the correct amount if you actually value your life.

you lose .8 seconds to reaction time alone, leaving you 1.2 seconds to actually stop in the event of an issue.

drive in such a way that you can make convenient decisions, not emergency ones
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not everyones reaction time is the same
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

not everyones reaction time is the same

hey, if youre willing to risk your life on that its fine. ill leave you plenty of space to do it. im sure it will be a huge consolation to your family when they are told at your funeral that you have a faster reaction time than most. just like its always a huge consolation when they find out it was the other drivers fault and not yours.

youre still dead, and you died trying to save a few seconds.
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jramirez23 posted...

But the speed limit is a maximum speed that in theory, you're not supposed to be hovering around or above.

In theory, yes. But nobody's going to give you a ticket for going 65 in a 60.

Troll_Police_ posted...

2 second rule is pretty stupid anyways. 3-5 is the correct amount if you actually value your life.

you lose .8 seconds to reaction time alone, leaving you 1.2 seconds to actually stop in the event of an issue.

drive in such a way that you can make convenient decisions, not emergency ones

I agree with most of this, but 2 seconds is only a base anyways (for me, at least). I'm not just looking at the car in front of me anyways, I'm looking at the 2-3 cars in front of the one in front of me. If I see brake lights on any of those, then I get ready to brake myself.

Plus 0.8 seconds seems like a LONG time to react, I like to think my situational awareness (i.e. being able to predict when the guy in front of me is going to slam on his brakes) actually makes up for the reaction time + time it takes to move foot from accelerator to brake.
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Muffinz0rz posted...

jramirez23 posted...

But the speed limit is a maximum speed that in theory, you're not supposed to be hovering around or above.

In theory, yes. But nobody's going to give you a ticket for going 65 in a 60.

Troll_Police_ posted...

2 second rule is pretty stupid anyways. 3-5 is the correct amount if you actually value your life.

you lose .8 seconds to reaction time alone, leaving you 1.2 seconds to actually stop in the event of an issue.

drive in such a way that you can make convenient decisions, not emergency ones

I agree with most of this, but 2 seconds is only a base anyways (for me, at least). I'm not just looking at the car in front of me anyways, I'm looking at the 2-3 cars in front of the one in front of me. If I see brake lights on any of those, then I get ready to brake myself.

Plus 0.8 seconds seems like a LONG time to react, I like to think my situational awareness (i.e. being able to predict when the guy in front of me is going to slam on his brakes) actually makes up for the reaction time + time it takes to move foot from accelerator to brake.

you can think what you want and drive like you want. like i said, i'll leave you plenty of space to do it.

the fact of the matter is, people who drive using the smith system experience something like an 60% lower rate of accidents and an 80% lower rate of fatalities.

driving is dangerous, people are stupid, and it isnt worth it to save yourself a few seconds.
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Troll_Police_ posted...

people who drive using the smith system

The what?
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Muffinz0rz posted...

Troll_Police_ posted...

people who drive using the smith system

The what?

its a training program to improve driver saftey, primarily used for larger fleets, but completely applicable for everyone. its not about driving slower, its about creating space and being aware.

looking several cars ahead of you constantly is a good start, sure, but there is a lot more you can be doing to protect yourself on top of that.

i'd strongly recommend everyone check it out.

https://www.drivedifferent.com/
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Newsflash, 2 seconds is for casuls, lrn2drive, drive like it's a race.
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Drive fast and take chances is my motto. Also, yellow means speed up and always have a secondary route planned.
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Firewood18 posted...

Drive fast and take chances is my motto. Also, yellow means speed up and always have a secondary route planned.

Boom, smart driving.

Crashes are caused by not paying due attention, if you're paying attention then you don't need much space.
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I drive the 5 and 405 in California frequently and I always leave two lengths because people are crazy and I like my car.

Of course if I see where I can cut through and get around a clump of traffic I will break my rule, but in general it makes no sense to endanger yourself just to close gaps and get to your destination seconds early; I'd say you have emotional issues if you're the type who does this often.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Firewood18 posted...

Drive fast and take chances is my motto. Also, yellow means speed up and always have a secondary route planned.

Boom, smart driving.

Crashes are caused by not paying due attention, if you're paying attention then you don't need much space.

its awesome you think this way kyuubi. ill admit i would feel bad for the people in the other car, but hey, maybe itll be a wall instead.
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MacrossSpecial posted...

I drive the 5 and 405 in California frequently and I always leave two lengths because people are crazy and I like my car.

Of course if I see where I can cut through and get around a clump of traffic I will break my rule, but in general it makes no sense to endanger yourself just to close gaps and get to your destination seconds early; I'd say you have emotional issues if you're the type who does this often.

You must live in SoCal too. The 5 and 405 are two of the biggest pieces of shit in LA. I used to drive the 101 every day. My god it sucked.

But yeah, leaving two lengths is the right idea. Better to be safe and lose a bit of time than rear end someone. I have personally witnessed two collisions, and one of them was a really bad rear end collision (3 cars because some stupid woman was looking at her phone).

For TC, it's pointless to be upset by driving defensively. Just protect yourself and don't worry about it. Also, pay attention to those truck drivers as they get crazier by the day, at least here in southern California. I even got clipped by one who was tailing me for no reason. Even had to call the police as the guy was screaming in my face. At least his company covered the repairs, but yeah, it was an unpleasant experience nonetheless.

Troll_Police_ posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Firewood18 posted...

Drive fast and take chances is my motto. Also, yellow means speed up and always have a secondary route planned.

Boom, smart driving.

Crashes are caused by not paying due attention, if you're paying attention then you don't need much space.

its awesome you think this way kyuubi. ill admit i would feel bad for the people in the other car, but hey, maybe itll be a wall instead.

Nah, I put good rubber on my wheels and keep my car up to scratch, I always have enough space.
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mayatola posted...

MacrossSpecial posted...

I drive the 5 and 405 in California frequently and I always leave two lengths because people are crazy and I like my car.

Of course if I see where I can cut through and get around a clump of traffic I will break my rule, but in general it makes no sense to endanger yourself just to close gaps and get to your destination seconds early; I'd say you have emotional issues if you're the type who does this often.

You must live in SoCal too. The 5 and 405 are two of the biggest pieces of shit in LA. I used to drive the 101 every day. My god it sucked.

But yeah, leaving two lengths is the right idea. Better to be safe and lose a bit of time than rear end someone. I have personally witnessed two collisions, and one of them was a really bad rear end collision (3 cars because some stupid woman was looking at her phone).

For TC, it's pointless to be upset by driving defensively. Just protect yourself and don't worry about it. Also, pay attention to those truck drivers as they get crazier by the day, at least here in southern California. I even got clipped by one who was tailing me for no reason. Even had to call the police as the guy was screaming in my face. At least his company covered the repairs, but yeah, it was an unpleasant experience nonetheless.

I hate the 101 even more than my normal drive. At least the 405 has predictable rushes, the 101 seems to be ass at all times of day save for the witching hour.

Every once in a while you see a couple people in a crash in the fast lane trying to dodge traffic while yelling at each other. Not only do these people seem to not realize that they did something stupid and caused their accident but they increased everyone's commute by close to an hour. I intensely dislike these people and seeing people brag about driving stupidly triggers me.
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Muffinz0rz posted...

Me: *being a good driver and leaving space between myself and the car in front of me*

Every jackass: *cuts over into said space, forcing me to slow down and leave more space between myself and said jackass*

Every additional jackass: *repeats step 2*

Me: *ends up slowing down over and over because of these fucks*

If you see someone coming who is clearly going to do that I usually close the gap so they can't cut me off.

Lil69Leo posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

Me: *being a good driver and leaving space between myself and the car in front of me*

Every jackass: *cuts over into said space, forcing me to slow down and leave more space between myself and said jackass*

Every additional jackass: *repeats step 2*

Me: *ends up slowing down over and over because of these fucks*

If you see someone coming who is clearly going to do that I usually close the gap so they can't cut me off.

But why would I want to endanger myself/my car just to try and teach someone else a lesson?
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Troll_Police_ posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Firewood18 posted...

Drive fast and take chances is my motto. Also, yellow means speed up and always have a secondary route planned.

Boom, smart driving.

Crashes are caused by not paying due attention, if you're paying attention then you don't need much space.

its awesome you think this way kyuubi. ill admit i would feel bad for the people in the other car, but hey, maybe itll be a wall instead.

Nah, I put good rubber on my wheels and keep my car up to scratch, I always have enough space.

like i said, please keep driving exactly the same way that you do. i think it is AWESOME that you think this way
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