You should increase the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead when you:
- Are following a small passenger vehicle.
- Are being tailgated by another driver. ✓
- Are driving more slowly than the posted speed limit.
Answer: B. Are being tailgated by another driver.
You should increase the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead when a tailgater is behind you.
Why this is the answer
The handbook says to create more space in front of your vehicle when a tailgater is behind you. It also says to keep your course and speed, then move right when it is safe and let the tailgater pass. A bigger gap ahead gives you room to slow down gradually instead of braking hard, which matters when someone is following closely. The handbook does not tie extra following distance to following a small passenger vehicle or to driving below the speed limit, so the tailgating situation is the one that fits.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Are following a small passenger vehicle. — The handbook does not say to add following distance just because the vehicle ahead is a small passenger car; its spacing guidance is about tailgaters and special road surfaces.
- C. Are driving more slowly than the posted speed limit. — Nothing in the passages says that driving slower than the posted limit by itself calls for a larger gap; the handbook's list of when to create more space does not include that.
Remember it
If someone is riding your bumper, give the car in front more room so you can react without sudden braking.