Opinion question -- Interstate agility?

[slowmover]

Drafting another vehicle is not ever a good idea. Too confining for vision, too close for braking. The mpg gain is just way too small.

You're preaching to the choir. My mandatory every-three-years NTSI-approved Defensive Driving Course (the Army Traffic Safety Program) calls for minimum 4 second following distance, +1 second for each adverse condition (+1 for darkness, +1 for wet pavement, +1 for rain or fog, so at night in a rainstorm it's a whopping seven seconds following distance).

Maintaining that much following distance can be all but impossible on a busy highway with other drivers who lack the same training, but it's easier if you also drop your speed by 5mph for each adverse condition, so if the speed limit is 70, driving at night in the rain you would do 55 mph. If everyone ahead of you is pulling even farther ahead, maintaining a long following distance is easy.]

Yeah, on the whole this is a low IQ country. They'll drive on each others tail without regard to conditions. Any road, any state. This is why I find 4-seconds workable (and appreciate the insights via training as it can be applied) given a good set of mirrors to watch for overtaking traffic.

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[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

Yeah, on the whole this is a low IQ country. They'll drive on each others tail without regard to conditions. Any road, any state.

Yep. Highway math. As if 70mph right on someone's bumper is somehow faster than 70mph with a four-second following distance.

[mgriffrus]

It's the same as pushing the elevator button 126 times after it's already lit up! It DOES make it faster.

[73shark]

I recall from my early driver's training to allow one car length for every 10 mph. When I tried that at 60 mph, six cars passed and filled the void.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by 73shark

I recall from my early driver's training to allow one car length for every 10 mph. When I tried that at 60 mph, six cars passed and filled the void.

Actually that was 1 vehicle length for every 10 mph so a tractor trailer should to allow 1 tractor trailer length back for every 10 mph which would help since tractor trailers take so much more distance to stop.

The really scary part is that so many people think a tractor trailer can stop quicker then a sports car.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Wazbro

The really scary part is that so many people think a tractor trailer can stop quicker then a sports car.

No. The scary part is they think an Airstream Interstate can stop faster than a sports car!

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by 73shark

I recall from my early driver's training to allow one car length for every 10 mph. When I tried that at 60 mph, six cars passed and filled the void.

Hi, this is what I was taught too, but it would never happen here. Now if there is half a space people cut in.