Who can tell me ?

[digesterman]

Anyone following a semi so close that their headlites are reflecting back and blinding them has a problem with their driving skills. Why in the hell are you tailgating? Why are you running with your high beams on? Because low beams wouldn't cause that problem.

[eagle19952]

Anyone following a semi so close that their headlites are reflecting back and blinding them has a problem with their driving skills. Why in the hell are you tailgating? Why are you running with your high beams on? Because low beams wouldn't cause that problem.

so you say... since when is 50-100 feet tailgating ?

[TedCalvert]

Of course, sometimes heavy traffic causes us to lower following distances, but it shouldn't.  IIRC, the formula is one vehicle length for every 10 mph, plus 1 length if over forty mph.  So, at seventy mph, that would be 8 vehicle lengths X 40 'bus = 320 feet.  Just remember, the first person at a bus wreck is the bus driver! lol

[uncle ned]

If you stay 320 ft behind some one on the interstate you would have to be in reverse.
leave a decent distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, and 3 young women will jump in with the brakes on.

uncle ned

[Jon]

so you say... since when is 50-100 feet tailgating ?

You are kidding, right?

If I am driving at 60 MPH and some moron is 100 feet away If something in front of me causes me to slam on my brakes according to studies the average driver won't even hit his brakes for another 3/4 of a second. Since 60 MPH is 88 feet per second it is not too difficult to imagine what is going to happen. This presumes the tailgater isn't screwing with his smart phone, adjusting his radio, or picking his nose.

I like my bus too much to risk damage, but if you would like to follow my dump truck at 60 MPH within the distance you mention I'm pretty sure if I were to spike my brakes without warning you might have your car kissing the back end of my dump truck. Maintain those distances in a bus and there is no way to avoid hitting the soccer mom in front of you.

[eagle19952]

Of course, sometimes heavy traffic causes us to lower following distances, but it shouldn't.  IIRC, the formula is one vehicle length for every 10 mph, plus 1 length if over forty mph.  So, at seventy mph, that would be 8 vehicle lengths X 40 'bus = 320 feet.  Just remember, the first person at a bus wreck is the bus driver! lol

yeah truckers do that all the time....

ps i let dipsticks in cars pass me all the time, and then they slow down... i do maintain safe distances and i still think shiny hiny's are BS.

[lostagain]

I was taught to use a 4 second following distance while driving a bus.

At 100 km/h, 4 seconds is 111 meters, which is 366 feet at 62 miles per hour.

You can hardly bring a bus to a stop in that distance, and that is on dry pavement. Anything closer than that is tailgating, and is dangerous driving.

So people will take the space in front of you. You just back off some more. Driving defensively takes patience...

JC

[bevans6]

The old two second rule is around 180 feet at 60 mph, 205 feet at 70 mph.  50 feet is definitely tailgating, 100 feet is marginal but you do see it all the time.  Doesn't make it right or safe for the masses to follow at 100 feet at 70 mph.

Brian

[digesterman]

Jon and JC as I said some drivers skills are questionable at best. But I don't worry about them, it is going to be their head going thru my rear bumper not mine. I will continue to keep a safe distance between me and the vehicle ahead, compensating for those with lesser skills by slowing down occasionally when people jump into what is called the safe zone.
Drivers that don't understand the masses of a coach moving at 60 and what it takes to stop it and figure they can stop in 50 to 100 feet are the drivers I would never ride with.

[luvrbus]

A few years back they tested  a X3 -45 Prevost I am sure you could find it on the net some where with their modern disc brakes and the anti lock brake system it was 133 ft @45 mph I recall and that was a test so the driver was ready.Driving a Eagle that would calculate out to 499.99 feet    

[TedCalvert]

So the Prevost sto't pped in 133/45=3 vehicle lengths.  And that's under perfect conditions with the best brakes there are.  At 45 mph.   I guess my formula wasn't too far off.  It would give me a few tenths of a second to react. 

[Jon]

Ted,

Keep one very important fact in mind. The stopping distances at 45 are going to not be 3/4 of the stopping distance at 60. Right now new standards for stopping large vehicles are being considered or phased in. They will be somewhere around 200 feet at 60. Current vehicles built to the existing standards have to stop in under 300 feet . I don't remember the exact number. If you increase the speed to 70 the actual stopping distance exceeds 400 feet.

That is one reason I keep my speed relatively low and if the other drivers want to push their buses or trucks down the road at 70 or above that is up to them. I don't want the stress level that comes with knowing at those speeds I need a stopping distance significantly greater than the length or a football field.

And I hope my mirror polished rear doors piss off every driver that chooses to ride my tail. If they are so close it annoys them that is exactly what I want. Then they can go around and tailgate someone else.

[TedCalvert]

Well said, Jon.
Time to get out the buffer, lol.

[Scott & Heather]

I love it when they have rear polished skins. Perfect time to check if my headlights or foglights are burnt out..plus, I just love admiring my ride....

[digesterman]

Jon that's what I do too, in congested traffic I keep to the right lanes and keep the speed relatively slower than normal but when the road is open then it's whatever the speed limit allows.
I have had to lock up the brakes on a semi before and stopping a big rig (18 wheeler) quickly is something you don't want to do. That said I just came thru LA Ca and some of those truckers we're going 70 right on someone bumper, insane.