Final answer:
To keep a safe following distance between your vehicle and other road users, it's necessary to consider the speed limit, vehicle size, and your walking speed. You should be able to walk at least 4 m beyond the car's width before it reaches you, when attempting to cross the road safely in a town or city with a 60 km/h speed limit.
Step-by-step explanation:
A general rule to follow about keeping space between your vehicle and other road users is to maintain a safe following distance to allow for adequate reaction time and to avoid collisions. When considering how far away a car must be before it is safe to cross, you should account for the speed limit, and the size of the vehicle, and your walking speed. In towns and cities with a speed limit of 60 km/h, and considering the length of an average car being 3.5 m and a width of 2 m, you should be able to walk at least 4 m (2 m further than the width of the car), before the car reaches you to cross safely.
Calculating Safe Crossing Distances:
To calculate this distance in terms of car lengths, you can use the car's length as a unit of measurement. If an average car is 3.5 m long, and you need to walk 4 m to cross safely, this roughly equates to a bit more than one car length. However, it's important to consider that cars might travel faster than the speed limit, so giving yourself more than one car's length as a buffer is advisable for safety.
When driving, it's also critical to be aware of your surroundings and adjust your following distance according to various conditions such as weather, road conditions, and visibility. This concept of personal space is also relevant when considering pedestrian safety in scenarios where pedestrians are crossing roads or when objects are being dropped from heights, respecting personal boundaries to ensure safe interactions and activities.