Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule?

[c_dug]

Bollocks!

Big sweaty ones at that.

Honestly I don't know anybody who sticks to a 2 second gap, on my commute to work I see thousands of people not sticking to it. I've honestly kept a genuine eye out to see if anybody has a 2 second gap. Not a single person.

Can anybody genuinely say they do? Just that lots of people are quick enough to point it out when somebody else has an accident from being too close but my gut feeling is that most of them are hypocrits.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[MarJay]

I do.

You live in London though, where the laws of physics (and taste and fashion) no longer apply.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Mikey3]

On a motorway, travelling around 70/80, the two second rule requires a pretty large gap from the car infront, not to mention in the wet...
Thing is, with todays driving, thats a gap big enough to fit another car in, or perhaps 2.

Mike
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'04 Yamaha WR450F
'99 SV650 Streetfighter Project - mid build
'Motorcycling is about what you do; not about what you own, or how much you spend on it'

[angryjonny]

Of course not. I live in the South. 2 seconds is just enough of a gap for that idiot trying to pull out of a side-road to have a go at it and force you to slam on the anchors.

Leave 2 seconds on any dual carriageway and 4 people will shoehorn their cars into it.

[scorps]

I do as well, more than that if im on a bike, obviously in slow moving traffic that is impossible but i always leave a decent gap between me and the vehicle in front but not enough for another car to get into.
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Do not presume that I am male.

[MarJay]

I don't understand this thread. Are people honestly saying they don't leave a gap with the car in front?

I think in my observation on the roads over the last 15 years that the most common cause of accidents is following too closely. You could be doing 200mph and as long as you have sufficient gap between you and the next nearest vehicle, you're unlikely to have an accident with them.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Alpha-9]

[angryjonny]

[MarJay]

[Maimboy]

I try to maintain 2 seconds, but on motorways some muppet will always jump into that gap (I imagine this is a popular complaint on HGV forums). In this case I move either left or right of the lane, hopefully to find a bike-sized gap should the traffic come to a crashing halt.

[c_dug]

To be honest the amount of time I actually spend behind another vehicle is quite small. Most of my journey is filtering at speed.

That said, riding between cars buses and lorries all doing 50mph at 60+mph probably doesn't apply to people who don't ride on the A13. Seems to be the norm for most riders I see on the commute, myself included.

Really though, I don't tailgate, but no way do I leave 2 seconds. Clear thinking and quick reactions see my right.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[scorps]

Its a lot easier up here in Aberdeenshire, there is less traffic apart from Aberdeen where you encounter the worst drivers I have ever seen outside the middle east. Space is the only way to ensure not getting dented and the ability to reverse everything logic about driving , one manouvre in particular is the cutting someone up on a roundabaout whilst leaving them just the right amount of space to allow them to slam the brakes on and not hit you. Took me nearly three years to perfect that one
Thats in a car, on the bike I have extremely loud exhausts and i would like to think that the open faced lid shows my snarling face clearly enough to make drivers think twice about pissing me off
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Do not presume that I am male.

[angryjonny]

[shooter]

Just because everyone drives like a cunt doesn't make it ok.

[GreenPan]

I'll also keep a gap.

I've seen too many crashes at work where my colleagues have been following another vehicle too closely and to be honest I don't much fancy being another statistic on the guv'nors hit list. So another driver will slot in, big deal. I'm in no rush.
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Current Bike: '92 ST1100 Pan European
First Bike: '00 CB500

[angryjonny]

[Zombeh]

A bit rich to moan about muppets moving into gaps between you and the car in front, bikers do this more than most.

[snikks]

I leave a 2 second gap all the time, and live in the south east (or at least Oxford, which is kind of in there on a technicality, but does get reasonably busy in town).

I haven't particularly noticed people trying to force their way in front but then I usually find that if the traffic is heavy enough for there to be any point in them doing so, I'm filtering anyway because it's nearly at a standstill.

I DO find that in the rain, if you leave a larger gap (the recommended 4s), people will push in. My response to this is either to drop back and re-create my gap, or overtake them when safe, depending on whether I'm happy with the speed they're going.

I'll admit I'm not really much of a hooligan rider, but hey, it's better to arrive too late in this life, than too early in the next, as they say .
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- CBT: 02/01/11 Theory: 26/04/11 Mod 1: 19/05/11 Mod 2: 19/08/11
- 2007 Honda XL125V Varadero (Sold), 1999 Yamaha FZS600 Fazer (Sold), 2001 CBR600F

[Teflon-Mike]

[drzsta]

I tail gate in the van all the time. It hasn't got the power to do a quick overtake.

I shouldnt do it, but if your going that slow - pull over.
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Current Bikes - BMW S1000RR ‘17 & KTM 690 SMC-R ‘12

[Kwaks]

[teuma86]

Depending on Road and conditions.

If I can not see far ahead (due to being stuck behind that white van who often slams on their brakes) then yes, I leave a gap

If im in traffic that is light flowing and dont have many road users lane jumping, then yes, 2 seconds

if in traffic that is getting heavy then I stick between the 2 lanes, so I have an escape route (or extra braking room) just in case something happens.

I drive and ride the M4 Reading - Heathrow (and back again) every day for work. its a daily occurence where you can plod along at 80 than come to a sudden stop. So I leave a gap where possible

//Edit : Before the comments come in, I either Drive or ride, depending on mood / plans. no I do NOT drive and Ride at the same time, (not on the M4 anyway)

[MarJay]

[angryjonny]

So it is personal. I'd always suspected as much.

[sirswali]