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Sure, but an unexpected full ABS lock when you can see nothing in front of the tesla is going to be yard for most to react quickly too even at a decent distance. 10 second follow distances are only possible in most metros during very light traffic.


Then you're driving unsafely, although 10 seconds as a general rule is a straw man.

At any time, a child could run out from a hidden spot and the car in front of you could have to slam on the brakes as hard as possible. Or any of a hundred other realistic scenarios.

These things aren't common, but statistically they will happen to you multiple times during a lifetime of driving, and it's your responsibility to always be at a safe distance behind in order to react as well.

The common rule of thumb is generally 2-3 seconds in perfect conditions, and 4-6 seconds in rain or other normal challenging conditions. 10 seconds is only in cases of ice/snow where most people wouldn't be driving in the first place (you know, when you're going just 15 mph but it still takes 5 seconds to come to a full stop on the slippery ice). The heaviness/lightness of traffic is irrelevant.


Phantom braking is not a full ABS lock type of braking. It’s more like a brake check.


>10 second follow distances are only possible in most metros during very light traffic.

I've usually heard that it's three seconds. Even still, you control your follow distance. Even in heavy traffic, you can give yourself more space between you and the car in front of you than other people do. It's easy to do, and I've been able to do just that even in metro areas with heavy traffic.


You only need 2 seconds to be safe. It's longer than you think.


3 is the guidance in the UK at least


> You should ... allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on high-speed roads and in tunnels where visibility is reduced. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and up to ten times greater on icy roads

Highway code rule 126[0] says 2?

[0] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/general-rules-t...


Oh. I stand corrected.


I mean, I think 3 is better, especially at high speeds. 2 is just the minimum.




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