[NA] Drivers

[AZEL]

A friend in college had a diesel Rabbit, and he’d draft semis on the highway as close as he dared. Between the diesel and draft he got phenomenal mileage, but it always made me nervous when I had to ride with him.

Sure, in a traditional road safety class, a "safe following distance" is intended to allow for a complete stop. However, the fact is collisions are a mathematical certainty. So, doesn't it make more sense to mitigate the severity of that inevitable collision?

And that is a function of Relative Velocity ( Delta v ).

So, in the Impact Velocity Formula ( Delta v = sq root 2 * a * d ) The speed at which the rear vehicle strikes the lead vehicle is determined by the distance ( d ) available for the lead vehicle to decelerate before contact.

As d approaches zero, the impact velocity also approaches zero. By eliminating the gap, you eliminate the lead car's "head start" in slowing down, ensuring both vehicles maintain the same speed during the transition to a single unit. Once the vehicles make contact, they behave as a single combined mass ( m1 + m2 ). If the rear driver does not brake, the lead car’s braking force ( F ) must now decelerate the combined mass. According to Newton’s Second Law ( a = F/m ). Thus, less physical damage or chance for injury.

NOTE: This has been vetted by physics professors. Not by insurance adjusters. But really, which of those two disciplines is the more rigorous?

 

[MauleSkinner]

Tailgaters are a PITA, for sure.

So are front grillers.

 

[Flatiowa]

Sure, in a traditional road safety class, a "safe following distance" is intended to allow for a complete stop. However, the fact is collisions are a mathematical certainty. So, doesn't it make more sense to mitigate the severity of that inevitable collision?

And that is a function of Relative Velocity ( Delta v ).

So, in the Impact Velocity Formula ( Delta v = sq root 2 * a * d ) The speed at which the rear vehicle strikes the lead vehicle is determined by the distance ( d ) available for the lead vehicle to decelerate before contact.

As d approaches zero, the impact velocity also approaches zero. By eliminating the gap, you eliminate the lead car's "head start" in slowing down, ensuring both vehicles maintain the same speed during the transition to a single unit. Once the vehicles make contact, they behave as a single combined mass ( m1 + m2 ). If the rear driver does not brake, the lead car’s braking force ( F ) must now decelerate the combined mass. According to Newton’s Second Law ( a = F/m ). Thus, less physical damage or chance for injury.

NOTE: This has been vetted by physics professors. Not by insurance adjusters. But really, which of those two disciplines is the more rigorous?

I concur, if you for example have a 6” draft on an 18 wheeler loaded to maximum legal loaded weight you would have a better chance of survival in the event of that truck hitting something hard than you would if you had a 400ft gap and slammed into it’s rapidly decelerating mass.