Two second rule?

[Robertb]

I like to leave a decent gap between me and the vehicle in front, and work on the 'two second' gap basis. I have adaptive cruise on my CLS, which I set to a similar gap (about the middle setting of its available options).

I've found that some other drivers think this is too much... I get tailgated or undertaken by people (often in Audis but I may be imagining it!)

Is it too much? Should I close up?

[Robertb]

Super Sonic said:

chriz1 said:

I've also noticed this, leave a sensible gap and people tailgate you and swerv behind before undertaking and then realising, ah there's a que of cars in front. But they still think you should pull over and let them take your position in a que ( traffic in outside lane ) what's going on?
I think the standard of driving has dropped a lot lately.

If you find people are undertaking you, maybe you should move into the lane on your left.

#

The problem is, if you've pulled out to overtake because you are closing on a car in the middle lane (as you've reached a 2 sec gap), then there is enough gap for someone pushy to weave between you and the car you are overtaking.

I think I've accepted I will live with it... maintain my margin of safety and let the twits be twits!

I've found it makes no difference if I'm using ACC or not, though I can see how the system's behaviour could annoy people at times and over-ride it in those situations. On the whole, the programming of the Mercedes system is very good indeed, but you do have to be aware of its limitations.

[Robertb]

Super Sonic said:

Robertb said:

The problem is, if you've pulled out to overtake because you are closing on a car in the middle lane (as you've reached a 2 sec gap), then there is enough gap for someone pushy to weave between you and the car you are overtaking.

Not sure what your saying here.
It sounds like you're overtaking a car, and another car 'weaves'(?) between you and the car you're overtaking? The other car would be driving between the lanes ie. straddling the lane markings.
I'm sure this isn't what you meant.

Imagine you are driving along in the centre lane at 75 and close in on a car doing 70. Distance gets to around 2 secs so you pull out to overtake...then you are then in the outside lane, with another car in front of you doing 75, maintaining a 2 sec gap.

Pushy driver behind undertakes you by driving close to the car in the middle lane, pulling out in front of you filling your 2 sec gap.

[Robertb]

Pit Pony said:

MBVitoria said:

I'd love to see a manufacturer have the balls to fit a device that warns the driver to back off if they get closer than 2 seconds above a certain speed, say 15mph. I reckon accident rates would massively reduce if everyone just followed this one simple rule.

Erm. The technology is available, and on production vehicles already.
Where i work, we are incorporating it into the automatic emergency braking for trucks, so that the driver has to back off or indicate, within a limited time, otherwise the truck will brake.
I was driving a sprinter van the other week, and a red triangle came up twice in 200 miles. Apparently it was warning me I was too close.

My 2014 CLS has a red warning light that appears if you are too close to the vehicle in front, in extremis it will also beep and brake.