The Two-Second Rule


If I am lucky I will never have to experience my best driving moment again.

My wife and I were in the car and I was driving.  As we cruised along the freeway we did what most people do.  We were talking, listening to some music and enjoying each other's company.  Through all of this I was controlling the car mainly on instinct.

You know how it is.  Once you have driven so many miles and for so long, most of what we do in essentially unconscious behavior.  More often than not you get to your destination without any memory of long stretches of the drive.  You know you made lane changes, sped up, slowed down and turned but you really don't recall any of it. At least this is how it is for me.  I don't remember anything specific about the drive until.

Until it dawned on me that the cars in front of me were not just braking, they were stopped.  I had a very short time to assess my situation.

I looked at my speedometer.  Sixty-five miles M.P.H.

Behind me.  A car going just as fast.

Beside me.  Cars on my left and my right.

In front of me.  Those cars hadn't moved.

As I braked I checked my rear view mirror again.  The driver of the car behind me was not looking forward.  He was looking at the woman in the passenger seat and laughing.

I would guess that less than a half of a second had passed since I noticed the brake lights.  I knew I needed to stop and just assumed I would get rear ended.

At that moment some type of instinct kicked it.  I can describe it now, but it wasn't an action that I thought of and planned, I just did.

I looked into the mirror to watch the driver behind me as I  urgently pressed the brake.  As soon as I saw his face turn and his eyes explode in horror I knew he was braking but he wouldn't stop in time.  But I had slowed to about 10-15 miles per hour and there was 30-50 feet until the car in front of me.  In the instant that the car behind me made contact with my car I removed my foot from the brake and then slammed it on again.

The collision pushed me forward but the bumper did it's job and I stopped without hitting the car in front of me and the car behind stopped without making additional contact with our car.

Years later I learned about a law that has made my driving almost stress free.  It's the two-second rule. In my state you are required to remain two seconds behind the car in front of you.  I can attest that if you will take those two seconds, and perhaps leave five more minutes early, you can avoid not only accidents but the stress that comes from near misses as well.


Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for keeping your comments positive and helpful..

Popular posts from this blog

Merry Christmas 2013

Image
Today I thank my mother and father for their goodness, kindness and example that I hope to emulate through my years. I thank my brother Paul for his leadership. As the eldest of numerous siblings he has paved the way for us all to set goals and achieve them. My sister Kathy has always stood for that which is right.  Her virtuous living and stalwart life keeps us steady and grounded. Joanne has kept our family fun and imbued us with continued traditions.  Thank you Jody. Diane has blessed us all with the example of continual hope.  Her courage in the face of trials is a gift I remember on this Christmas Day. Elaine will give her support to anyone at any time and for any need.  I am not even sure she asks why.  Thank you for that unconditional love. Richard will get into the grind and solve any problem as quickly as it arises.  He shows me the value of not waiting and rueing but just getting in and doing it. My brother Robert, the second of t...
Read more

Starting in the Corners

Image
My mom with two of my children As parents we watch our children learn and grow. As infants they depend on us for almost everything they need. We feed, clothe, protect and teach them all that we can so that they can enjoy a rich and full life.  We tend to recall those years with incredible fondness.  Curiously that fondness seems to grow as the years go by. In those early days and first few years we mark and celebrate the milestones.  That first smile, even if it was just gas, imprints in our mind's eye.  We celebrate or mourn those first steps depending on whether we were there to see them.  We blissfully enjoy the renewed rest as they finally sleep through the night.  And what parent doesn't rejoice at the moment a child can serve herself at a buffet? Through all of these milestone moments our children gradually become the people they will be.  But development is never even nor perfect.  There are always flaws and mistakes. But as parents...
Read more

His Peace

Image
After telling His disciples that he would die and leave them, Jesus said:  “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Can you imagine the fear they must have felt upon receiving the news that the Messiah was going to leave? As a people they had waited for this Messiah for millennia for a savior to bring them liberation. Instead He brought them salvation.  And while they had been taught what they needed to know His disciples did not fully understand. Thomas said he knew not the way to go where Jesus was going. Philip asked to see the Father as though he believed that would finally be enough knowledge and teaching to carry them through.  These disciples had accompanied Jesus throughout his three-year ministry. They had been witnesses to miracles, ministered to by angels, and they testified of Jesus’ divinity. Yet the unknown left them with the uneasiness of the unkno...
Read more