It is safer not to leave a 2 second gap

[ExPat2B]

I have come to this conclusion after modifying my driving style now I have two young children. I started leaving more of a gap, and discovered what that actually does is encourage people to misjudge the gap and pull into it, causing me to have to apply the brakes, sometimes quite forcefully.

My theory is that is much safer to be slightly closer to 2 seconds to the car in front so that people do not perceive a gap in the first place, and therefore you are not subject to errors in their judgement. I have never driven into the back of anyone, and if I do from not leaving enough space it is likely to be quite a low speed collision as both our cars will have a starting similar speed, with the cars square to each other, which is dealt with well by the cars crash structures.

If someone completely misjudges a gap and I hit the front of their car as they pull out, it will be an offset collision with a stationary object, which not dealt with as well by most cars, and much more likely to knock my car sideways into oncoming traffic, which would be the type of crash dealt with least well by a cars crash structures.

It also seems safer for pedestrians and cyclists, who often struggle to judge the speed of oncoming traffic accurately.