The student's question concerns the principles of maintaining safe driving distances to react and stop effectively to prevent accidents. A minimum distance of 2 to 4 seconds is recommended for following another car, and pedestrian safety requires sufficient distance and time to cross the road considering vehicle speed and stopping distance.
The student's question pertains to the safe following distances for vehicles under various driving conditions. It is important to maintain a minimum following distance of 2 seconds during normal conditions and extend it to 4 seconds at night or when facing adverse conditions such as rain. This rule helps ensure that drivers have enough time to react and stop if needed, thereby preventing collisions.
In urban areas with a speed limit of 60 km/h, the average car length being 3.5 m, crossing the road safely requires a pedestrian to be able to walk a distance greater than the width of the car before the car reaches them. Bridget observed cars require 3 seconds to travel between two points 50 m apart, indicating a speed of about 60 km/h.
If a car is 28 m away, equivalent to the length of 8 cars, and a pedestrian can cross at a speed that safely allows a distance greater than the car's width, they might have sufficient time to cross. However, this must factor in the driver's reaction time and the vehicle's stopping distance, which changes in wet conditions. Adequate safety measures must be taken to cross the road securely.