You're driving a truck that is 17.6 metres long. Under ideal driving conditions, you should maintain a following distance of at least ________ behind the vehicle ahead.
- 6 seconds
- 3 seconds
- 5 seconds ✓
- 4 seconds
Answer: C. 5 seconds
Under ideal conditions, a 17.6-metre truck should keep at least a 5-second following distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Why this is the answer
The handbook groups trucks with buses and other heavy vehicles. For those vehicles it says to keep at least five seconds behind the vehicle ahead, because they need more time and distance to stop. Another passage repeats that drivers of buses, trucks and other large heavy vehicles should never be less than five seconds behind at highway speeds. The question asks about ideal conditions, so the stated minimum is five seconds; less ideal conditions call for more.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. 6 seconds — Six seconds is longer than the stated minimum; the handbook says at least five seconds in ideal conditions and to add time only when conditions are less than ideal.
- B. 3 seconds — Three seconds is shorter than the five-second minimum the handbook gives for buses, trucks and heavy vehicles.
- D. 4 seconds — Four seconds falls short of the five-second minimum stated for a truck or heavy vehicle.
Remember it
For a heavy vehicle, picture a full hand: all five fingers up means five seconds.