Staying as far as possible from the car ahead is not necessarily safe

What can I do to avoid getting into road accidents?

We were taught in driving school that keeping a safe following distance is of paramount importance. Typically, the gap should be between two and three seconds.

While driving, it is normal for people to be quite relaxed, toggling radio channels or taking a quick glance through the windows, but such activities add to our reaction time.

Counter-intuitively, keeping a larger gap between your car and the one ahead does not equate to safer driving.

Beyond a certain limit, large spaces have a negative psychological effect on the traffic behind you. To get you to close the gap, the driver behind will naturally move closer to you.

Slight fear and annoyance may creep in on your part. This can lead to changes in speed, creating a “rubber band” phenomenon where traffic speed constantly rises and drops.

That is how we end up with traffic jams.

To minimise such scenarios, moving into the left lane is always advisable as it is intended for travelling at the speed limit.

As for in-car distractions, it may be legal to use a mounted device while driving, but the driver still has to remain focused on the road.

A car can cover about 100m in the time it takes to read a short message, and the same vehicle needs 50m to stop from 100kmh.

It is also very easy for a vehicle to stray out of lane when the driver is distracted, especially with the quick-acting steering systems in cars now.

In short, we should not be looking at devices at all when on the move.

Finally, wearing a seat belt is crucial. It ensures you are well fastened to your seat and always within reach of all the car’s controls. If an event requires you to undertake defensive driving techniques, such as making quick steering inputs, the seat belt will keep your position fixed relative to the car’s movements, keeping your body stable to maintain car control.