A Simple Safety Precaution When Stopped Behind a Car

Do you know the simplest and most important safety precaution when you are stopped behind a car? It’s something you should always do when stopped behind a car at a stoplight, during heavy traffic, or when a car has stopped while waiting to make a turn.

The answer is making sure you can see the rear wheels of the car in front of you touching the ground. If you can see the wheels touch the ground, then there is enough room for you to safely maneuver around that car in the case of an emergency. Their car may stall, a danger may approach from behind, or you may need to get out of the way of an emergency vehicle.

Just as you would leave a safe following distance while you are driving, you should also leave enough space while you are stopped. Take a look at how close cars are to one another the next time you are stopped at a stoplight. If one car broke down, a whole chain of cars would have a difficult time maneuvering because they did not leave enough space between themselves and the car in front of them.

You always need to give yourself a way out. Because you can’t control the space behind your car, leaving extra space to your front allows you to always move out of the way in case of an emergency.

Also, by leaving this space, you give yourself a buffer zone if you are bumped from behind. The space should provide enough room so that you do not subsequently hit the person in front of you.

Remember, always make sure you can see the wheels of the car in front of you whenever you stop.

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