Motorway 'safe' distance chevrons

[LordGrover]

Back of a fag pack maths gap at 70mph ~ 1.28 seconds and at 80mph ~ 1.12 seconds.

I've understood the sign to keep two chevrons apart:
car > _ > car
it's never felt quite enough which if my maths is correct is the case.

So, should it be three chevrons to be more in line with the two second rule?
car > _ > _ > car
or have I misinterpreted it all along and it's just poor English and they meant two gaps between chevrons? Even the graphic is ambiguous IMO.

[LordGrover]

WinstonWolf said:

You live in cloud cuckoo land... More than two seconds opens you up to prosecution these days.

Prosecution?
When was the last time you or anyone heard of someone getting done for even undue care or dangerous driving let alone using a mobile or minor transgressions? If it ain't speeding or caught on camera there are no prosecutions!

[LordGrover]

WinstonWolf said:

There is no way anyone should be looking at the car in front on a motorway, the focus should be much further ahead...

Focus should be switching all the time; near, far, mid, rear, peripheral, etc.

[LordGrover]

Did you miss this bit?

StressedDave said:

Stop getting hooked up on time - it's the wrong approach. No one cares how long it takes to get to a point on the road. They do care that if they're stationary at that point, you'll not hit them.

[LordGrover]

Further, similar reading; same topic posted at aduk: click.

[LordGrover]

Who are you and what have you done with the real p1esk?

Best wishes all,
The Moose

[LordGrover]

25NAD90TUL said:

SK425 said:

I'm sure I've seen it suggested (maybe even somewhere in this thread?) that they are used on long straight stretches because without bends and their cross-views you can more easily miss important stuff like a wave of brake lights or a patch of slow/stationary traffic further ahead - because at the sort of autopilot following distances a lot of people use, on a long straight you can't see so much past the vehicle immediately in front. No idea if there's anything in that or if it's just pub chat, but it doesn't seem completely implausible.

The two links you posted were on straights, and the chevrons I know on the M11 are on a straight bit. Are they any sections of chevrons on bendy bits?

That is a good point SK and one that hadn't occurred to me but yes a lot are on straights where cross-views are not available. Good point and I'm sure that is right in some circumstances.

I was on M4 East yesterday and they were on a curved section between Swindon and Chieveley IIRC.