To prevent tailgating, drivers should follow the:

1. One-second rule.
2. Two-second rule.
3. Three-second rule. ✓

Answer: C. Three-second rule.

To prevent tailgating, drivers should follow the three-second rule.

Why this is the answer

The handbook says tailgating blocks your view of the road and leaves you too little time to react if the car ahead brakes suddenly. It tells drivers to use the three-second rule to keep a safe following distance and avoid a collision. Following at that distance gives you time to react when another driver makes a mistake. That is why the three-second rule is the correct choice, rather than a shorter one- or two-second gap.

Why the other answers are wrong

• A. One-second rule. — The one-second rule is wrong because the handbook names the three-second rule for a safe following distance, and one second leaves a much shorter gap than that rule calls for.
• B. Two-second rule. — The two-second rule is wrong because the handbook specifically gives three seconds as the following-distance rule, not two.

Remember it

Pick a fixed point ahead; if you reach it before you finish counting to three, you are following too closely.