Under normal weather and traffic conditions, keep a minimum following distance of:
- One second.
- Two seconds.
- Three seconds.
- Four seconds. ✓
Answer: D. Four seconds.
Under normal weather and traffic conditions, you should keep a minimum following distance of four seconds.
Why this is the answer
The handbook is direct about this: it tells drivers to keep at least four seconds of space behind the vehicle ahead when weather and traffic are favorable, and to add more distance when conditions get worse. It also gives you a way to check yourself — pick a sign or pole, and count one-thousand-one through one-thousand-four. If you reach that marker before you finish counting, you are too close and need to back off.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. One second. — One second leaves far less room than the handbook calls for, and its own counting method treats reaching the marker before four seconds as following too closely.
- B. Two seconds. — Two seconds is still shorter than the four-second minimum the handbook sets for favorable weather and traffic.
- C. Three seconds. — Three seconds comes up short too, since the handbook's count runs all the way to one-thousand-four.
Remember it
Pick a sign or pole, then count one-thousand-one up to one-thousand-four — if you reach the marker early, ease off the gas.