Don't forget about the towed!

[A32Deuce]

Yep! Had driver training for 37 years. Distance between 3 utitility poles is approximately 3 seconds or 300 feet.

Originally Posted by FL420

Both places where I worked driving buses if a driver rearended the vehicle in front of him it would cost him his job regardless of what the driver in front did to "contribute" to the crash. The "professional driver" was deemed to be following too closely.
I try my best (and often fail) to base my following distance on time which is easier to judge than distance. What I came up with is to add 1 second of following time for each 10mph of speed I am traveling. For instance, if my speed is between 30-39mph I try to maintain AT LEAST 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of me. If I am going between 40-49mph I will try to follow at least 4 seconds behind the preceding vehicle. If I'm doing 60mph I try to follow at least 6 seconds behind.
I still have to frequently remind myself to look 15 seconds down the road in front of me at highway speeds as recommended by some safety experts. Of course, many drivers who pass you will almost always pull back right in front of you taking away your safe following distance. You can't change them and the law don't allow you to kill 'em so you just deal with it and slowly go back to re-establishing your safe following distance.
I start counting the seconds when the vehicle in front of me passes a prominent road sign. It's often easier to use the shadow of his vehicle when the sun is low. It takes some time to make it a habit but it's an excellent habit to have.

[FL420]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

Yep! Had driver training for 37 years. Distance between 3 utitility poles is approximately 3 seconds or 300 feet.

Safety recommendations these days are based more on empirical data than hypothetical rules-of-thumb. A 300 foot following distance is only valid at one particular speed based on the demonstrated braking distance of your particular vehicle at that speed. And, there is no guarantee the utility companies will provide drivers with above ground utility poles spaced 100 feet apart.
When travelling at different speeds time based on speed related to stopping distance of the vehicle driven is a much easier and reliable method of determining a safe following distance. When the road is wet or slippery it's wise to increase the following space by adding several seconds.

[CJ7365]

Originally Posted by RKins

Wow - I think I saw a stop light just on the other side of the tracks. So you know he started to cross and the light changed and he was stuck behind a car that was texting (or distracted) that didn't make it thru - he couldn't go forward or back - and what are the odds that a train would come through.....
I think that could happen to anyone, if the same circumstances happen. Who in their right mind would put a light on the other side of the track....this isn't the first time an accident happened at that location. My $.02

LMAO, you just assume that the car in front was texting or distracted, maybe the light was yellow.

Maybe the RV driver was distracted looking at his GPS or all his other gadgets on his dashboard and did not realize he stopped on the RR tracks.

It clearly states at all RR xings, DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS.


If you drive an RV, you are responsible for what happens.

[rbradd]

Originally Posted by FL420

Both places where I worked driving buses if a driver rearended the vehicle in front of him it would cost him his job regardless of what the driver in front did to "contribute" to the crash. The "professional driver" was deemed to be following too closely.
I try my best (and often fail) to base my following distance on time which is easier to judge than distance. What I came up with is to add 1 second of following time for each 10mph of speed I am traveling. For instance, if my speed is between 30-39mph I try to maintain AT LEAST 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of me. If I am going between 40-49mph I will try to follow at least 4 seconds behind the preceding vehicle. If I'm doing 60mph I try to follow at least 6 seconds behind.
I still have to frequently remind myself to look 15 seconds down the road in front of me at highway speeds as recommended by some safety experts. Of course, many drivers who pass you will almost always pull back right in front of you taking away your safe following distance. You can't change them and the law don't allow you to kill 'em so you just deal with it and slowly go back to re-establishing your safe following distance.
I start counting the seconds when the vehicle in front of me passes a prominent road sign. It's often easier to use the shadow of his vehicle when the sun is low. It takes some time to make it a habit but it's an excellent habit to have.

I like the 1 second for every 10 mph adding to my following distance and practice that when I can. My problem is I am too popular, I am always in a wad of cars, they must know I am coming along soon and they merge with me from every nook and cranny, makes it tough to stay safe. Still good practices, including making sure you are clear of the tracks.

[ScoobyDoo]

As for speed and following distance. If you have a 3 second gap at 60 MPH it will be a lot longer than the 3 second gap at 20 MPH. If everybody can stop at the same rate, as long as you can get on the brake in a second likely everything will be fine. But if the car in front of you can stop from the speed you are traveling in 3 seconds, but it takes you 5. Then there is the fact most don't want to admit, we can't get to the brake as fast as we used to. Not only do we need to leave room in front of us, we need to pay attention to what is going on 20-30 seconds ahead, to predict what the one in front is doing...

[FL420]

Just in case this thread is going to morph into a discussion of stopping distances let's throw a few facts into the mix to hopefully weed out WAGs and pre-conceived notions.


Based on extensive research by experts in related fields stopping distances of air brake equipped vehicles are a result of four factors:
Perception Distance + Reaction Distance + Lag Distance + Effective Braking Distance = Total Stopping Distance.


Perception Distance is based on how long the AVERAGE test subject took to see, recognize and decide to initiate an action based on a situation in their field of view. The AVERAGE Perception Distance in time is approximately 1/2 second or 44 feet at 60 mph.


Reaction Distance is based on how long it takes the AVERAGE test subject to decide on a course of action and then do it. The AVERAGE Reaction Distance in time is also approximately 1/2 second or 44 feet at 60 mph.


Lag Distance is based on the average time it takes the air brake system to apply the full available force to the foundation brakes after the driver's initiation of braking. The AVERAGE Lag Distance in time is also approximately 1/2 second or 44 feet at 60 mph.


So far, at 60mph the vehicle has travelled 132 feet in 1.5 seconds BEFORE the brakes even come into play in stopping the vehicle.


Effective Braking Distance is dependent on many factors which will vary greatly with every vehicle and every situation. Vehicle weight, brake condition, number of braked wheels, tire condition, road surface composition and condition, weather conditions, slope, etc., etc., ad nauseum. The factors within the control of the owner/operator have to do primarily with the condition of the vehicle and its systems and the weight of the vehicle.


One table taken from a CDL manual states that a typical Total Stopping Distance for an air brake equipped CMV is over 300 feet at 45mph. Since I don't have the time or interest to dig deeper for more precise information for all different variables I might encounter I am going to operate my MH on the premise that it will take longer than a football field for me to perform a max performance deceleration(panic stop) at speeds of 45mph and above and adjust my speed and following space accordingly.

[barmcd]

Several posts have been deleted to remove back and forth bickering. Per our rules, "Do not take every opportunity to express your disagreement, incite argument, insult each other, or fan flames. Voice your opinion respectfully and then let it go."