When should you always increase your following distance?

Increasing your following distance is crucial for safety, particularly when following large vehicles and on slick roads. Large vehicles, such as trucks or buses, can obstruct your view of the road and surrounding traffic. Thus, maintaining a greater distance allows you more time to react if the vehicle in front of you suddenly stops or encounters an obstacle.

On slick roads, which can be slippery due to rain, snow, or ice, stopping distances are significantly increased. By giving yourself more space, you reduce the risk of rear-ending another vehicle if braking is needed suddenly. The combination of the visibility issues posed by large vehicles and the increased stopping distance required on slick surfaces makes it vital to extend your following distance for safer driving.

While dry roads and driving at night can warrant some adjustments to following distance, they do not typically require an increase as significant as the conditions involving large vehicles and slick surfaces. Following sports cars may involve less concern over visibility and stopping distance compared to larger vehicles.