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Questions › Safe and Responsible Driving › Question 416 of 420

Why is tailgating (driving too close behind the vehicle in front) dangerous?

  1. A.The vehicle will not have enough distance to stop safely in an emergency.
  2. B.The vehicle will exceed the speed limit.
  3. C.The braking system is less efficient in the slipstream of the vehicle in front.
  4. D.The engine may overheat because of restricted air flow over the vehicle’s engine.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A. The vehicle will not have enough distance to stop safely in an emergency.

If you drive too close to the vehicle in front and it brakes suddenly, you will not have enough time to react. For that reason you should always keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front. One way of calculating a safe distance in dry weather is the two-second rule: allow at least two seconds to elapse between the vehicle in front and your own vehicle passing a fixed point such as a lamp post or sign post.

This is an official-style question from the Safe and Responsible Driving topic of the Ireland driver theory test (Cat. B). Practise all 807 questions free on iTest.ie — with timed mock exams, automatic mistake tracking and progress sync across devices.

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