Introduction

Have you ever had these swear words escape your lips?

[BLEEPED OUT SWEAR WORD - CRASH]

Hi there smart drivers. Rick with Smart Drive Test talking to you today about how to prevent rear-ending other vehicles.

We will give you tips, techniques, and strategies that you can put in place to prevent yourself from being too close to other vehicles and accidentally rear-ending them.

Stick around, we'll be right back with that information.

[INTRO & UPBEAT MUSIC]

Hi there smart drivers. Rick with Smart Drive Test talking to you today about how to prevent rear-ending other vehicles.

This is an advanced driver skill that you will not be taught in any driver education program, and probably most defensive driving courses neither.

So that's what we're going to talk about today.

A smart driver with a new license was involved in a rear-end crash owing to her inexperience.

Esther was very generous to send in a dashcam footage of a crash that she had and we're going go over that and give you an analysis of that. Now preventing yourself from rear-ending other vehicles; it's a little bit like martial arts.

If you can read the signs and know what's coming, it's a lot easier to defend yourself or to counter the movement.

And Esther has beat herself up and said, "Oh I'm 100% at fault."

I would actually cut Esther some slack and say:

"You don't know, what you don't know."

And when I point out the signs that are there and easily read, you go "Ha ha!" And you have a haha moment. And these aren't the road signs that are along the roadway, it's the road signs from the traffic telling you that something is wrong and that you need to put in a defensive posturing.

And you need to put in a counter that will protect you from rear-ending other vehicles.

Now if you're new to Smart Drive Test, Smart Drive Test helps new drivers get a license, veteran drivers to remain crash free, and CDL drivers to start a career as a truck or bus driver. So if you're new here consider subscribing. Hit that subscribe button way over there somewhere. As well, hit that bell.

That way and instant notification when I get the videos up for you.

Now as I mentioned Esther sent in the dash cam footage here. And as you can see in the footage she's on the off ramp. And it's a very long on ramp onto #99 south they're in Richmond, BC.

And she maintains the two second following distance, which is as you know, recommended by most driving manuals which is quite good. In the video however, two second following distance for passenger vehicles is under ideal conditions.

A 2-3 second following distance in a passenger vehicle is under ideal conditions. Often this following distance must be increased to protect yourself.

And here in this video footage you can see that this is not an ideal condition because the vehicles in front of her are telling her that the vehicle directly in front of her is tailgating the first car in the lead of three cars that are going around on the on-ramp here.

And the brake lights flash a couple of times and tell her and tell other drivers that. That in fact the vehicle is too close. As well, as vehicles get closer together the spaces between the vehicles shrinks and gets smaller, which also indicates to you that the vehicles are too close together.

So the counter to this is that you need to increase your space. She should have increased her space to three, four, or five second. Probably a five second following distance. Because essentially what she could have done was increased her following distance; let way off on the throttle and get way back.

And then accelerated, and she could have accelerated out on to the freeway and been up to highway speed and been away from those other vehicles.

And because she let off on the throttle and got a five--maybe even a ten second following distance between her and those other vehicles--then she would have backed off been able to speed up and get on to the highway with the correct speed that she needed, which was probably a hundred kilometers an hour out on to the freeway on #99 south there.

The interchange from #91 East to #99 South where the rear-end crash occurred.

So that's what she could have done and the tell-tale sign are the brake lights. The driver directly in front of her had tapped the brake light three or four times indicating that he was tailgating...he or she was tailgating the vehicle in the lead.

And then unfortunately, what had happened at the end was that she was busy shoulder checking looking out on the freeway looking for her gap, and what happened was that the car in front stopped and then the car directly in front of her stopped, and she ran into the back of the car.

Increase following distance when other vehicles in front are tailgating to prevent being a wreck-on-a-wreck.

Fortunately, as I said, it was a minor crash. So that's essentially what happened and that's how you can prevent yourself rear-ending other vehicles.

If there's anything that indicates to you that the vehicle in front of you is tailgating another vehicles, back off, back way off - five to ten second following distance, and that will prevent you from rear-ending other vehicles. And I want to thank Esther again for sending that in and helping other smart drivers to be better, smarter drivers.

Now just before we finish up here, look down in description there and get your defensive driving checklist. Head over to the Smart Drive Test website and pick that up.

And that will give you some defensive driving tips, strategies, and techniques that you can put in place.

And that will help you to remain crash free. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Rick with Smart Drive Test. And remember, pick the best answer not necessarily the right answer. Have a great day. Bye now.