What constitutes a 'gap' nowadays?

[Kris]

Travelling on a four lane Motorway each day I've noticed more and more cars seem to sit in lanes with a hopeful indicator flashing, usually when the lane they wish to occupy is travelling 0.004mph faster than the lane they currently occupy.

I've also noticed there seems to be a set limit to driver's patience levels, resulting in seemingly insane manuevers justified by a long waiting time to change lanes.

So to this moring, where I was in a long line of fast moving vehicles as per any other day when cars merging from a sliproad seemed to be unnervingly crossing two lanes at once to get near to the outside lane. After this one particular car driver indicated to move into the outside lane even though it was very busy and there was no room.

Ah! No, my mistake. There was me thinking that one car length plus 6" clearance was too small to be called a 'gap'. Cue braking and associated carnage.

I've definately noticed an increasing trend of indicating to notify others that "I'm coming into your lane whether it's safe or not!".

So, what does consitute a legitimate gap on multilane roads?
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[chris-red]

3 or 4 car lengths
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[Feasty]

If I'm in the car and see someone intending to push in front of me whilst on a dual carriageway or motorway, I'll make sure the gap I provide is smaller than the length of their car. They can bloody wait until there's a gap big enough or until they can join the end of the queue...

I've tried the relaxed driving style of leaving the usual 2 secs between me and the car in front and it doesn't work, I just can't put up with the constant trail of cars pushing in front and also trying to rear end me.

On the bike I'm pretty much the same too, except if someone does the pushing in thing I let them then just undertake when it's safe to do so and pile back in a few cars later!
There's no winning solution though, everyone reacts differently - I just believe this approach works for me as one thing I do more than any other drivers I know is look far ahead and perceive dangers early on...
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[Robby]

Same as making any other turning, within reason. I shouldn't take any action that results in another vehicle having to change its speed or direction.

People are probably a bit more rushed at the moment because they're running late, having needed an extra 5 minutes to scrap the ice off the car in the morning. Also you've got the old safety problem with cars in general, you fill a car with crumple zones, airbags, and obscenely thick pillars, and you have a driver that can't see out as much as they used to.

[D O G]

I would say a legitimate gap is about half of a normal 2 second gap.

I won't sit there with the indicator on though, I wiat until I spot the gap I will go into, then indicate as the car I'm dropping behind is a half car length ahead.

Having said that, I always leave a nice 2 second gap, I don't like leaving less, primarily because it severely limits your forward observation.

[Skudd]

You should leave about 2 seconds between you and the vehicle in front. The higher the speed the bigger the gap but still 2 seconds. Rain 4 seconds, ice/snow 10 seconds or more.
Now the reality check, if we keep to the 2 seconds then most merging traffic that is upto speed should be able to move around with the driver who is being moved in front of dropping back to the 2 second gap. If someone walked in front of you would you stay up their arse? No you keep your personal space and so you should while driving. the trouble with driving is Ego and vendetta driving gets in the way. instead of ranting how poor other peoples driving is we all could do with looking at our own driving and give others more room, being tolerant of the fools. Looking and planning ahead works wonders, if you are on a main dual carriageway and coming up to a slip road that you know people come on from and find it hard to merge, think about changing into the next lane or just easing off the gas to allow the merge to be smooth. If you are merging just be patient, dont rush out, plan your move.
The main thing is to chill out and not let others driving get to you.
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[Pie-Roe]

On a bike I like to be doing 90 when I leave the sliproad, and you can pretty much fit in wherever.

In me car I won't go above 100 in it, and I'll slot in when theres a gap of about 3 seconds. (I rarely travel on dual carriageways or motorways in busy times, mostly after 10 at night and before 5 in the morning)

Pyro
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[daemonoid]

I think we all just need to get over the belief that the stretch of road just in front of our vehicle is ours and needs to be protected at all costs.

If the traffic is flowing (rare i know but it does happen) then one person taking 'your' place does very little to your journey time. If traffic is beginning to slow then the fastest lane, 90% of the time, is the inside lane (the one with the trucks in) so just move over there and no-one bothers 'pushing in'. Of course, this is for cars, on the bike i leave the same gap so i can see and then just make up all the time by filtering in heavy traffic (tailgating a car on a bike is just plain stupid... you're the one who's gonna feel it in an accident).
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[stinkwheel]

The trouble being if you try to maintain a 2-second gap, you would eventually land up going backwards.

I've taken to leaning on my horn until I have passed cars/wagons which put their indicator on when I am alongside. If they feel annoyed or threatened by this, screw them, they ought to learn the rules of the road properly before venturing out. I'm happy that they know I'm there (which is after all, the reason vehicles are fitted with a horn).
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[daemonoid]

[Feasty]

That's a rather large assumption to make that stinkwheel uses his horn agressively! The horn is to be used to let others know of your presence - that's exactly what he's doing.

What you should be picking up on is people indicating when there is nowhere for them to go, remember - Mirror, Signal, Manouvre.
Check you can go, indicate you are going to go, then go... if you are signalling then you are indicating an intention to go in which case I would use my horn to ensure they don't crash into me because they haven't used their mirros appropiately!
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[daemonoid]

[Polo]

I find that round my way the indicators appears to mean that they are coming over, mind out of the way.

Horn beeping to try and counteract this results in the offender looking round to find out where that racket is coming from, whilst still completing their manouver.

Confrontations at the next set of lights normally involve the defence "well, didnt you see me indicate?".

Frosty / steamed up windows just add a little extra spice. I don't think gaps are a requirement anymore. I have suffered the above with a police car directly behind me - they accepted it too.
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[NiteMare]

the main problem i see on the roads is a lack of forward planning/thinking, i reckon that at least 60% of drivers leave thier thinking/manouver to the last second ...

which leaves them no time for indication/mirrors or anything other than the manouver, prime cause of accidents
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i ain't fixed it enough

[stinkwheel]

[iooi]

The 2 sec rule is there for a purpose. Any less and sudden stopping and its a shunt. So anyone who fills that gap is placing not only themselves in danger, but also the people in front and behind in risk of a colision.
Never mind the fact that they may cuse the person behind to slow and cause the bunching up and usual result, that somewhere behind there will be a shunt....

All because they are in too much of a hurry to wait till the traffic passes to allow them to move out safely.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Kal]

From bitter experience I maintain the two second (four in bad conditions) rule like my next blow job depended on it,* especially on the motorway. Oddly never had the problem the Stinkwheel aludes to.

Having 20 mile or sections of a journey overtaking, being overtaken by and re-overtaking the same vehicles is a common experience, but I manage to keep a consistant speed easily enough.


Most of my motorway miles are in the Midlands, the M1 and M25 so depending on where you are your mileage may vary.


* Except when riding staggered with a friend
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Kal...
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[NSR Mick]

[ajb]

It gets stupid when people on the inside lane dont let people on from sliproads.

If everyother driver let another driver enter the carriageway, the flow of traffic would increase dramatically, with little to no effect on journey time.
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CBR125R '05 > CB500 '00 > CBR600F '99

[daemonoid]

[Shaun]

I hate it when people put their indicators on as you're just about side by side with them. As for a gap, it depends, if it's not rush hour then you can usually leave quite a big gap, if it's busy then people seem to become a lot more willing to force their way into gaps that aren't there.

[Kickstart]

[daemonoid]

[Kickstart]

[stinkwheel]