Dubai: Maintaining a safe distance from the car ahead of you can give you critical seconds to not just notice any sudden changes on the road but also react to them in time, and avoid a collision.Not maintaining a safe distance from the car ahead of you is one of the leading causes of serious and sometimes fatal accidents – a warning that Dubai Police issued in June this year. Police authorities across the UAE continue issuing regular awareness messages and advisories on this dangerous driving behaviour.Tailgating, which is the action of driving too close to the vehicle in front of you, to get them to move into another lane, is also considered ‘aggressive driving’, which can lead to strict penalties as per the UAE’s Federal Traffic Law.So, how much of a distance should you maintain to ensure you are driving safely on the UAE’s roads? And what are the penalties for motorists who fail to abide by this requirement? Here is all you need to know.What is a safe distance?According to Abu Dhabi Police a ‘safe distance’ can be divided into two stages.The first is what is called the ‘thinking distance’, which is the distance you travel from the moment you realise there is a risk or emergency on the road to the time that you take action to avoid it. While typically this time is approximately 0.7 second, it can increase significantly in cases where the motorist is older, tired or inattentive. In such cases it can take one second or more, according to Abu Dhabi Police. The distance travelled by the vehicle during this time is called ‘response distance'.The second stage is the distance travelled between the moment you start applying the brakes and the moment the vehicle comes to a complete stop. This, too, takes about one second, and is called ‘braking distance’. This may, however, increase or even double, depending on the condition of the road surface, as well as the condition of your brakes and tyres.To work out overall safe stopping distance, you must add the thinking distance to the braking distance. This gradually increases with the vehicle speed as well.The three-second ruleIn another awareness message shared by Dubai Police in 2024, motorists were advised to follow a simple ‘three-second rule’.While driving, look at the vehicle in front of you.Choose a stationary object like a road sign.When the vehicle in front of you passes the road sign, start counting to three, but slowly. A simple way to ensure you don’t count too fast is to say the words ‘number one, number two, number three’.You should reach the stationary object you chose after completing the count.If you reach it before the count of three, you are not maintaining a sufficient safe distance.When you are driving in poor weather conditions, like heavy rain, fog or sandstorms, this time should be increased to four or five seconds, to factor in the slippery road or low visibility.What is the penalty for not maintaining a safe distance?In the UAE, failure to leave a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you can lead to a fine of AED 400, with four black points issued on your licence.In Dubai, you can also have your car impounded for 30 days, as per the Administrative Resolution No. 1 of 2024 Concerning the Cases and Periods of Discretionary Administrative Impoundment of Vehicles.
