Tips for Safe Driving

What is a Safe Driving Distance?

Driving safely should always be your top priority when you're behind the wheel, especially during rush hour traffic when there is no shortage of distractions and little breathing room on the road. One of the most critical aspects of safe driving is maintaining a safe following distance to ensure that your vehicle can stop in time for the car in front of you.

Below, we will take a look at what a safe driving distance means, how much space your vehicle needs to stop safely, and why routine brake repair is critical to ensuring your safety on the road.

Your vehicle's brakes are critical for both your safety, as well as the safety of your passengers. Contact Austin's Pro Max to schedule a brake repair service appointment with one of our highly qualified and certified brake service technicians in Puyallup, Washington, to ensure your vehicle will get you where you need to go safely.

More Speed Needs More Space in Order to be Safe

People have been taught various responses to this question over time. Drivers have been taught the "two-second rule" in recent years. It states that your car should not pass a fixed object less than two seconds after the car ahead of you. This was created because it produced a result based on the cars’ speed and only involved a small amount of math for the driver.

However, there are a few flaws in this system, as it doesn’t account for bad weather and, more importantly, two seconds is still too close for anyone's safety. Even if you're quick enough to notice a hazard and apply the brakes in that short amount of time, there isn't enough room for the brakes to stop your car safely. Here are the ideal times and distances.

• 3 seconds for speeds between 30 mph and 50 mph in ideal driving conditions
• 4 seconds for speeds between 50 mph and 60 mph, or during uncertain weather conditions
• 7 to 8 seconds for speeds between 60 mph and 70 mph or during icy or snowy conditions

Certified Brake Repair in Puyallup, Washington

One of the simplest yet most frequently broken rules of defensive driving is maintaining a safe following distance. Even if you follow all of the other defensive driving techniques, no rule is more critical than this. Regardless of the speed at which you are traveling, make sure you keep a safe following distance between you and the car in front of you at all times.

Brake repair is an important aspect of vehicle maintenance that no driver should overlook. If your car, truck, or SUV needs quick brake repair in Puyallup, Washington, schedule an appointment with Austin's Pro Max today to have one of our service technicians take a look.