What's the Two-Second Rule? | Driving Lessons

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Learn about the driving manual's two-second rule in this Howcast video with A-Club Driving School.

So today we're here to talk about the two second rule. And what the two second rule is, is a way of you to know whether or not you've got proper distance between yourself and the vehicle that is traveling ahead of you. And what you do with the two second rule is you pick a standing object on the roadway. So let's say you're going to pick a tree, which might be right here. Or an overhead sign. And what you do is, you watch the car ahead of you. And when the car ahead of you becomes even with that object, whether it be that tree or that overhead sign, at that point you start to count to yourself to two seconds.

It takes the average driver three quarters of a second to make a maneuver to stop. Which means that, by the time you see something, the relay message from your eyes to your brain to your foot to actually step on that brake takes about three quarters of a second, for the average driver.

If you observe this two second rule, and you're two seconds behind the vehicle ahead of you, it'll mean that you have enough stopping distance to stop safely. So once that other car becomes even with that fixed object, you start counting to two. If your car has reached the fixed object before two seconds, you're following too closely to the car ahead of you, and you're not going to have enough time to stop, should you need to stop in a panic situation.

So that's the two second rule. And if you follow it, and execute it properly, you're going to have enough distance between your car and the car ahead of you.