An important driving lesson to be learned before attending your driving test is to drive your vehicle without tailgating
. All are familiar with what is meant by tailgating. To follow a vehicle too closely on the road while driving can cause tailgate incidents.
Following another vehicle too closely is not a good option while driving. There may be emergencies or other distractions but it is not permissible to drive closely behind another vehicle. The chance of causing an accident is very high while tailgating. If the driver in the front chooses to brake, you may not get enough time to hit your brakes before colliding with that vehicle. The instruction given at the driving school is that we should leave at least 3 seconds gap (Crash Avoidance Space or CAS) from the car in front of yours. That means if you are driving at 30 k/ph at 3 seconds gap, your distance on 60 k/ph would be different and its nearly double.
This will give you enough time to hit your brakes in case the driver in front of you chooses to stop his vehicle abruptly. When you are towing something behind your vehicle and while driving in bad weather or in adverse conditions, it is better to double your Crash Avoidance Space from the vehicle in front. Even though you are careful enough to drive without hitting the vehicle in front of you, chances are there that the vehicle behind you may hit you. A good driving instructor will provide you with tips for avoiding such a situation. You should be aware of what is happening in the space around your vehicle while you are driving.
Use your rear view mirror to see if there are any vehicles following closely. If you feel that they are too close, you can warn them by partially applying your brakes. This will make your tail light to glow. Or you can wave them to go ahead of your vehicle and allowing space to do so. But this maneuver should be done carefully as this is not allowed in certain countries. If you are living in Sydney, make yourselves familiar with RMS Rules and Regulations (Road rules). Otherwise you might be booked for doing so.