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Question

Difficulty: MediumSpeed Control and Following Distance

A driver is cruising in the right lane of a highway when a large commercial vehicle begins tailgating their car closely. To maintain safe speed control and proper spatial buffering, which action should the driver take?

  1. Gradually reduce speed and increase the following distance to the vehicle ahead.Answer
  2. B
    Accelerate above the posted speed limit to widen the distance behind the vehicle.
  3. C
    Maintain the standard three-second following distance without adjusting for traffic behind.
  4. D
    Apply the brakes abruptly to force the tailgating driver to drop back.

Answer

Gradually reduce speed and increase the following distance to the vehicle ahead.
When followed closely by another vehicle (especially a heavy commercial truck), increasing your following distance from the vehicle ahead provides a larger buffer zone. This allows you to brake slowly and smoothly if hazards arise, giving the vehicle behind adequate reaction time to avoid a rear-end collision.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the hazard behind the vehicle
Recognize that a tailgating commercial vehicle creates an increased risk of a rear-end impact if sudden stopping occurs.
Large commercial vehicles require significantly greater braking distances than standard passenger cars.
2
Adjust forward space buffer and vehicle speed
Ease off the accelerator gently to increase the following gap behind the leading vehicle from three seconds to four or more seconds.
A larger forward gap provides additional time and space to brake gradually, giving the trailing tailgater time to stop safely.

Key Concept

Defensive Following Distance and Tailgater Management
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Speed Control and Following Distance

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