Many people consider themselves safe drivers. They always focus on the road and the traffic around them. They avoid distractions or clear dangers like impaired driving. They think that their own dedication to being safe will keep them from being involved in an accident.
This is a good mindset to have, but it’s also important for drivers not to overestimate their own abilities. For instance, people will sometimes accidentally tailgate other vehicles because they believe their own reaction times are excellent and they’ll be able to stop easily if they need to. But reports indicate that there’s actually a delay in reaction time of about 1.5 seconds for all drivers, which is part of what makes tailgating so dangerous.
Why is there a delay?
There are two components to this delay. The first is simply perception. The front driver is going to hit the brakes 0.75 seconds before the rear driver even realizes what’s happening, according to these studies.
Next, there is another 0.75-second delay as the rear driver moves their foot to the brake pedal. They’re likely driving with their foot on the gas or on the floor if they’re using cruise control, so it takes time for them to see the brake lights ahead of them, realize what it means, and then move their foot to the brake pedal and push it down.
All this happens relatively quickly, but it still takes about 1.5 seconds before the rear car begins to slow down. If a driver is too close to the next vehicle, this may mean that they get in a rear-end accident, even though they thought they were driving safely.
Have you been injured?
These types of mistakes can lead to serious car accidents. If you’ve been injured by another driver, be sure you know what legal options you have.
